Running With Ghosts
by WatchAndLearnKid
Summary: Zombie/Apocalypse AU. H2OVanoss. Jonathan and his best friend Tyler are in Rio for a soccer game. Confusion and panic spread like wildfire but that's not the only thing. They are presented with decisions neither want to make, but in a country they are unfamiliar with, they do what they have to if only to survive another day.
1. Chapter 1

"It's a favela, Tyler."

"How the fuck do you know?"

Jonathan rolled his blue eyes and gripped the steering wheel, gesturing with his other hand out at the layered buildings around them. "Did you not play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2? That one fucking level is called 'Takedown'. They were in Rio, where we are now, running on rooftops through markets. It's called a favela or you can fight me."

Tyler held up his hands, "Okay, I believe you, oh intelligent one. I won't doubt your nerd memory and your ability to recall the names of specific levels from a game that's almost ten years old."

"That's one of my favorite games, of course I know the names of the levels." Jonathan pulled into a tiny parking garage, paid a man at a guard post, then proceeded to search for a parking spot.

"You're still a fucking nerd." Tyler laughed and pointed out a spot when he saw it. "There!"

Jonathan whipped the rental into the tight spot and they sat there for a moment, gathering their wits before they intentionally threw themselves into a massive crowd. But it was what they were there for, so they got out and pulled their jerseys on over their heads and made their way out onto the road, joining the line of people headed towards the Maracanà stadium.

The streets were so full of life and color anywhere you looked. Clothes hanging from lines above your head, scooters flying by, kids kicking balls back and forth. The culture was rich and the locals were tanned with stories. Rio was the close-knit kind of place that Jonathan had always dreamed of living in. The kind of place where you could ride your bike down to the market on the shore and buy fresh fish. A place where you could leave your window open and smell the salty air night and day. This was the kind of place where he could be happy.

"Alright, Tyler. No shit-talking. This is the kind of 'football' that people kill over and I'd rather not end the day having to pick your teeth up off the ground." Jonathan gave him a serious look and his friend rolled his eyes.

"Dude, no one wants to fuck with a guy who's as tall as I am." He puffed out his chest and gestured at himself.

Jonathan shook his head as they grew nearer to the stadium that stood tall above them. "I don't care, Tyler. I'd like to leave this country alive if you don't mind."

"Fine, I'll keep my asshole-ish tendencies to a minimum." He glanced down at his shorter companion. "Just for you."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Jonathan grinned but was soon rolling his eyes again as they filed into the packed stadium. Tyler was craning his neck as far as it would go just to look at the women going by.

"Could you not gawk so obviously?"

"It's not a crime to look." Tyler shrugged.

"But it's obnoxious, dude. Especially when someone's looking as hard as you are. Life is not all food and titties."

"Ha! For me it is." Tyler stared out at the field once they found their seats. "For you, it's food and anything on two legs. You got lots of options. I have to pick through the crowd."

"Oh my god. This trip was the worst idea. I should've invited my brother instead." Jonathan laughed when Tyler shoved him, almost spilling his drink on his fresh jersey.

Tyler knew he didn't mean it because they had been close friends since grade school. The fact that he had invited him first came as no surprise. Jonathan knew he loved soccer and had laughed like a maniac when he presented the tickets to him as a birthday gift. The look on his face was one of shock and probably terror too, because that meant they had to fly. Jonathan was a mess when he flew, seeing as he was on the verge of having a phobia of planes.

Needless to say, Tyler's fingers were blue from lack of circulation because Jonathan was too scared to let them go or move the entire flight. But he didn't mind because he knew the trip was going to be worth it. The beach, the culture, the game. The women in his case, for Jonathan it was whoever or whatever caught his eye. Not that he ever acted on any attraction no matter how much Tyler pushed him to do so. The man just wasn't into the chase. He liked to wait. He was conservative that way.

Tyler wasn't, he liked to dive in and try his luck even though nine times out of ten it never worked. Either way he enjoyed it even though it kind of made the two men polar opposites, but no less best friends. They balanced each other out.

The crowd roared to life as the players filtered out onto the field and not long after the game began. It was eventful much to Jonathan's relief. He would've felt like a failure if he had flown his best friend across the world to see a game that was disappointing. But it didn't let them down and his voice was hoarse from cheering by the time it was over and done with.

"I'm starving, man. As much as I'd love to run out on the field, I think we should try to leave now and beat the crowd, go find some grub." Tyler pulled at his arm and Jonathan held onto his jersey as he led them out of the stadium and away from the crowd.

They dodged kids on the sidewalk and weaved in and out of alleyways and buildings that were echoing with music and laughter. Rio was so exotic and Jonathan didn't know if he'd get enough if it before they went home.

Tyler pulled him into a small alcove by his arm and into a literal hole in the wall restaurant that was more than cramped, but that could only mean that it was good eating. So they squeezed in with the locals who were celebrating a win and everyone held their drinks up in a toast when they made their way in, sporting the team's jersey.

They slid onto stools at the high-top bar and ordered whatever the lady recommended and sipped at their drinks.

"So." Tyler started, "What else would you like to do while we're here for the next few days?'

Jonathan perked up and grinned, "I'd really, really like to go down to the beach. Oh! And down through the markets. You know we have to take home souvenirs or they'll bitch at us."

Tyler chuckled and rubbed at his scruff, "Yeah, your sisters are fucking vultures. Daniel is pretty chill though. You should buy him something and let the others suffer."

Jonathan broke into a laugh and tried not to cough around the drink in his mouth. He held it in and swallowed, Tyler clapping him on the back.

"No, the last time I did that I got the fucking evil eye for a straight month." He grinned fondly just thinking about his two sisters. They were younger, in their mid and late teens, full of sass and the attitude their mother had passed down to them. Jonathan was just as full of it, but he didn't light a fire beneath everyone he met like they did. His brother was a different story. He was older than all of them and at one point, took responsibility over them when their father passed away. Jonathan always admired him for giving up certain aspects of his life so that his brother and sisters never went without. Their mother was a train wreck most days but she made do with what she had to give them and he couldn't ask for anything more than that. His family was enough and he wouldn't have it any other way now.

Tyler's family had become like Jonathan's second one as they grew up together in the same neighborhood. Jonathan was a few years older so they never went to the same school at the same time, but when they got home they were always together. Nothing could tear them apart.

"I'm sure they'll mellow out when they grow up." Tyler shrugged and poked at the cuisine that was brought out to them, steaming, and smelling like heaven.

"Alright, if we eat this and die just know that I love you, dude." Jonathan laughed when Tyler cut his eyes at him.

"You better love me." He said seriously but then broke into a cheesy smile that always suited him so well. "I love you, too."

"Dig in."

They took their first bite and shared the same look of disbelief at the taste. It was the best thing either of them had ever put in their mouths.

It wasn't long before they were sitting there with empty plates and full bellies. The crowd had died down just enough that they could squeeze out of the place with relative ease. The two merged into the crowd outside that moved at a calm and steady pace that had them strolling slowly along through the market. Vendors were lined up shop after shop, stock full of fruits, vegetables, knick knacks, fabrics, local herbs and spices. It was stunning and the longer they wandered around the further the sun sank in the sky. Lights were starting to illuminate the dimming streets and it gave the place even more vibrancy. So much, that Jonathan almost couldn't take it all in. He always felt like there was never enough time and that by the time he would make it back home, those short colorful memories would already be fading. He needed more time to soak it in. He wanted to stay.

"Uh oh." Tyler grumbled sarcastically.

Jonathan was pulled from his deep brooding and turned his attention to the man beside him. "What?"

Tyler grinned crookedly at him. "I know that look."

"What look?"

"That look like you've fallen in love with this place already." Tyler nudged his shoulder. "Now, if you could just do that with a person, me and your entire family would finally be happy."

Jonathan smirked and rolled his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I don't have to be with anyone, Tyler. I don't need someone. I'm very happy being alone and if someone comes along then so be it. You know me, I'm not going to spend my time searching desperately for someone to be beside me. It's not a priority."

Tyler threw an arm over his shoulder, "I know, I know. I can tell you're happy just the way you are; alone. But once you find someone to be with, travel with, lay in the bed and laugh at each others bad jokes with . . . I know you'll be much happier. Whether it be a woman or a man, I'm just waiting with my fingers crossed for you to find them."

He couldn't argue with that. Sure he'd be happier with someone that understood him from his head down to his toes and laughed at the perverted and morbid things he said sometimes. That would be heaven, but he wasn't going to sulk until he found that person like the rest of the world did. If he had a soulmate, then that soul would run into him eventually, either two minutes from now or fifty years. He had a long life ahead of him. There was no rush and he was content with the way his life was.

For Tyler, he always had to have someone. It was just how he was. Deep down he needed constant companionship, whether it be someone to share his bed with or a friend to send stupid pictures to. Because once he was alone he drifted into a state of mind that broke him down piece by piece and his fear of being alone swallowed him up like the dark depths of the ocean he always dreamed about on cold nights. Jonathan was always there in between Tyler's breaks from his significant others. He knew he wouldn't sleep otherwise and they'd done that for years. All it took was a call or a text and Jonathan was there, falling into the sheets beside him to put his mind at ease. They would sit up for hours talking about nothing in particular, like if the stars were real or not or if they were just projections on a screen and they were living in a snow globe. They talked about how Play-Doh tasted salty, how it was the best thing growing up or how they liked to get dirt under their fingernails every now and then just because it made them feel more at one with the earth and not just some thing on two legs that was slowly killing the planet. They got very deep and it made them practically attached at the hip and shoulder.

"Okay, so do you want to go get wasted in a sketchy bar? Or do you want to go dig through shops and find cool shit?" Tyler wondered and he already knew the answer before Jonathan grabbed his arm and pulled him into a small shop that had international flags hanging up high, out of reach even for someone as tall as Tyler. Little figurines were Jonathan's favorite, especially the ones that were carved out of dark shiny stone. He got fascinated with how intricate they were and he appreciated the time and effort and skill that was put into it. Those were someone's tiny works of art and he had a handful before he realized. He turned down the next aisle to find Tyler with a basket full of handkerchiefs. Most of the them were very tribal looking, one stood out in particular. Tyler had a knack for buying things in bulk, but each thing had their own different qualities and he gave them to friends and family accordingly. So Jonathan grinned when he saw that one in particular.

"Is that one for me?" He pressed.

Tyler just looked at him sideways, unblinking.

"Ha! It's mine!" Jonathan laughed and ran over, picking up the black handkerchief that had a skull on it so that when you covered the lower half of your face it looked badass. "I'll look like Ghost on Call of Duty."

"Nowhere near as badass, but yeah." Tyler teased and watched with an adoring smile as his best friend put the fabric over his face and looked in the tiny mirror that was available. He nearly squealed.

"This is so fucking cool, dude!"

Tyler watched the overgrown dork tied the mask around his head. He turned his way and held his hands out. "Well?"

"Yeah okay, pretty badass." He laughed but it was cut short when an ear splitting explosion rang out, echoing in their chests and shaking everything in the shop. His first instinct was to grab Jonathan's arms and hold him steady as the ground rumbled. But then it was gone just as fast.

Jonathan pulled the mask down around his neck and took a deep breath, locking eyes with Tyler's that were blown wide. "The fuck was that?"

"A sonic boom." The small shopkeeper squeezed into the aisle with them. She moved past them toward the front door and peered out. "Pay it no mind. The government has been sending jets across the sky for weeks now. That's just the sound of them breaking the sound barrier."

Tyler raised his brow, "Does anyone know why or are they just doing it for the hell of it?"

The look on her small aged face when she glanced back sent a shiver down Jonathan's spine. "We don't question the government around these parts. If you know what's good for you."

"What the hell does that mean?" Jonathan said under his breath and Tyler just shook his head.

"Probably means we should be getting back to the hotel soon. It's getting dark." He said and Jonathan gave him a small nod, but before they could even take their next step another explosion rang out. But this time it was different. It was followed by screams that shook them to their core.

"Tyler." Jonathan couldn't control the strain in his voice. He squeezed Tyler's arm a bit too tight but the man didn't notice.

"Let's just . . . stay calm. Alright? Until we know what's going on." Tyler tried to brush back his own fear but it was hard when they saw people starting to flood the streets, looking back in panic as they ran.

"Yeah . . . yeah." Jonathan let his arm go. "Yeah . . . no."

He curled his fingers into his palms and squeezed to calm himself and regain his posture. Jonathan walked to the door and moved around the woman to get a better look outside, Tyler right behind him. "What do you think, survivor man?"

Jonathan could feel the ground rumbling from all of the people running down hill past them. There were so many. He moved out as far as he could without being trampled and he glanced in the direction that the people were running away from. That was when he saw the cloud of smoke rising from what appeared to be Maracana, but it was missing one side. It was in pieces. "Oh shit."

"What is it?"

He swallowed and looked back at Tyler. "Someone bombed the stadium."

Tyler's eyes widened and Jonathan watched his face go pale. He walked over and pushed at his chest until he was back inside and leaning against the counter. "Tyler . . ."

The taller of the two shook his head and looked at his hands to find them shaking. "We were just in there. We need to get the fuck out of here, Jonathan."

"No, not yet. We have to let the crowds thin out before we can go anywhere. Too many people in a panic is just fucking impossible to navigate through. This isn't a hike in the woods without a compass. That, I can do. But screaming swarms of scared people . . . I need time to think." Jonathan put his hands over his head. "We probably won't be able to leave the country. The government will shut down flights in and out of the country, detain foreigners maybe. I don't know, we'll see."

"We'll see?!" Tyler stood to his full height. "We can't just fucking wait! We need to go! NOW!"

Jonathan placed a firm hand against his chest, "Where?! There are thousands of people running around mad out there and somehow we're supposed to just go?! There is nowhere we can run to, Tyler!"

Tyler was about to object but the small shopkeeper spoke up and placed a calm hand on Jonathan's arm. "You're right. There is nowhere you can go. The stadium is up hill, you cannot go that way. Every other direction there is water eventually. It is best to wait it out. Stay here if you need to."

She pulled a small bag over her shoulder and opened the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I must find my family. Good luck to the both of you." Without a second glance she disappeared into the crowd, leaving the two of them alone in a quiet empty shop in the middle of Rio with a mass panic under way outside.

"Fine." Tyler huffed and pushed his hand away. "We'll stay here until your spidey senses say otherwise."

"Listen, I'm just as freaked out as you are. Can we not fight right now? We need to stick together." Jonathan watched his friend pace back and forth out of the corner of his eye as he watched out the window. The crowd thinned out by a little when twenty minutes passed and he was waiting to hear sirens, the chopping blades of a helicopter, voices of authority over megaphones. But, none of those came and the longer they waited, the more anxious he became. He could feel that sharp instinct for survival running deep, climbing closer to the surface and he really just wanted to run.

Running was his strong suit. Always had been and his ability to find his way out of the woods with only the sunlight to guide him. His friends always joked about how he could have his own survival tv show or how he could be a parkour instructor. But he never wanted to be either of those things even though those were his best qualities. He preferred his quiet job of web design and occasionally fixing someone's computer. He liked to use his hands and if he wasn't doing that he was painting something random on his walls. His entire house looked like a brick wall of twenty year old graffiti, faded in some spots but brand new in others.

Jonathan twisted the lock on the door and stepped out after another thirty minutes had gone by and there were only stragglers left jogging down the street in the darkness. Lanterns that were pre-lit were the only things that shown in the tiny twisting streets. It got disturbingly quiet and he felt Tyler right behind him when he stepped out into the road. Footsteps echoed before they disappeared completely and he looked north to see the soft glow of the massive fire that was still burning at the stadium.

"Think it's safe to move now?" Tyler questioned quietly with a hand staying firmly on his shoulder.

Jonathan looked around uncertainly, "Safe as it's gonna get. Unless something new happens. Let's try to get to the hotel, or at least the garage."

Tyler moved close behind him when he started to walk down the road from the direction they came from. "It looks like the power is out all over, how do we know where we're going?"

Jonathan grinned and tapped his temple, "Because of this."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Lead the way, Obi Wan." Tyler snickered.

"Do you need to hold my hand?" Jonathan asked seriously but Tyler snorted.

"Shut the fuck up."

He didn't hold his hand, but he stayed close enough that Jonathan could feel his body heat. They stuck together, nearly shoulder to shoulder and eyed each other when they saw people jolt inside of buildings when they passed by. Heads peered out of curtains, candles were blown out, like they were afraid someone was coming to get them.

Jonathan saw the garage just ahead, it's rooftop sitting high in the sky when he heard the sound of a jet engine cutting through the sky. It's whirring grew louder until it passed over head at a blinding speed.

Tyler swallowed, "Let's hurry."

They picked up the pace just as they heard another jet closing in. It passed over head as soon as they entered the garage. Some cars were already pulling out and they dodged a few that were clearly in a panic. But when they got to the vehicle and put their old shirts back on, tossing their jerseys in the backseat, they heard a rumble in the distance. Tyler's eyes locked with his over the roof of the car and they both looked back to see a cloud of fire rising in the sky, miles to the east.

Jonathan barely opened his mouth to speak when an explosion rang in his ear and the ground came out from beneath his feet. He felt pain and fell into total darkness before he came to. It could have been minutes, hours maybe. He didn't know, but there was something wet on his face and his bicep was searing like he was being stabbed with a hot knife.

"Tyler?!" He called out and his voice didn't echo. The building was in shambles. "Tyler, answer me god damn it!"

"Calm your tits!" He called back, his voice was muffled and he sounded out of breath. Jonathan pushed at the concrete around him and managed to crawl out. He coughed around the dust that he stirred up as he felt around for his friend.

"Where are you?"

Tyler gave a short groan before he coughed. It sounded wet and he knew that wasn't a good sign. "I'm under a bunch of shit, that's where."

"You're fucking hilarious." Jonathan stood, stepping carefully over fallen blocks and he jumped when a car alarm went off near him. The headlights flashed, illuminating what was around him and he saw the rubble nice and clear. Cars were on their sides and it looked like the story above them had fallen through as well as the one they had been on. He looked up and saw the fourth floor ceiling.

"The bomb didn't hit us directly. Maybe two buildings over because this one is still halfway standing." Jonathan thought out loud. "But it probably won't be standing for too much longer now that these support beams are weakened."

"Hey! You're getting close to me." Tyler said and his voice was below him and in the strobe of the headlights, Jonathan saw his head, then his arms. His heart skipped when he realized what Tyler was stuck under; their car.

"Oh, fuck." He whispered and Tyler glanced over as he came around to his side.

"Yeah. I didn't want to freak you out. I'm pretty fucking stuck, dude." Tyler sighed and let his head fall back on the ground. "I know you said you wanted to get out of this country alive . . . . and you still can."

Jonathan clenched his jaw hard, feeling his teeth clack. "Don't you dare."

"Jay . . . you gotta leave me."

"No." He shook his head furiously. "I'm getting you out of here. We are _both_ getting out of this country alive."

Tyler rubbed at his face, "Unless you're the god damn Hulk, Jonathan, I'm not getting out from under this car. It doesn't matter how buff you are. It's not budging."

Jonathan stood and paced, the repetitive alarm on the other vehicle was making his ears ring. His head was pounding and he didn't know where to go from here. He couldn't leave him, but Tyler wasn't wrong. There was no way to get him out from under the car and neither of them knew how long the building would hold up or if there were more bombs on the way. But he had to try.

"Sit tight."

"What are you going to do?" Tyler called after him.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be back!" Jonathan yelled over his shoulder and found his way out through a hole in the concrete and stumbled out onto the destroyed street. He had been right. Two buildings over was the bomb sight. The building and everything around it was diminished, the dust was slowly settling and it made the area seem like it was swallowed in a thick fog, clogging his lungs. Fire was littered in small patches in every direction. He rattled his brain and thought about what the area looked like before and what direction he needed to go to find the auto shop he had seen on their drive here. Right. Jonathan pulled the skull handkerchief back up and over his nose and mouth to filter out the ash in the air and he started to run.

Windows were shattering from weakened buildings as they continued to buckle while he jogged the streets slowly getting closer to where he was going. There were a few people, but not many, maybe four limping away down the road. There was nothing he could do for them, not until things settled and he figured out what exactly was going on. It could be anything from war to genocide. He didn't know.

At that moment a car came skidding around the corner ahead and he ran into the nearest alleyway out of sight and let it pass before he took off at a sprint and ended up in the garage of the auto shop. He managed to find a flashlight and started putting his survival skills to good use. He scrounged through everything he could find, found a black baseball hat and a clamp and rigged the flashlight on the bill of the cap so he didn't have to hold it. He adjusted it on his head to his liking and kept up his search for anything that could get Tyler out. That's when he glanced into the corner of the room and found a small car jack.

"That's it." He said to himself and stuffed it into the duffle bag he found and threw in some other tools like batteries, duct tape, basic screw drivers, matches. Basically anything even remotely useful. He didn't know how long they'd be here or what was going to happen from this point out. He pulled the strap over his shoulder and headed back out at a steady pace and it was all quiet, just the soft echo of his feet hitting the ground. The dust clouded up around his shoes like little puffs of smoke wherever he landed.

A rumbling filled his ears and he ran a little faster, his heart picking up it's pace to keep up. Then a shrill scream ran through the foggy air and he stopped dead in his tracks and listened as it echoed again. He tried to catch his breath and clenched his fist when he heard it again. It didn't sound human and the longer it went on, the closer it got, followed by real screams. Screams of terror. He stared down into the empty alley way to his right. It was dark, like a portal to hell and the sound seemed to be flowing from it sending a hard shiver down his spine. That when he saw them. Two glowing yellow eyes, then four . . . . six.

He ran and didn't look back, the screams still behind him, like hands reaching trying to claw at his back. His lungs were burning with ash but he didn't stop, not until he saw the parking garage and he was squeezing back in through the hole he'd got out of. He slid to his knees by Tyler's side and kept looking around frantically as he pulled the duffle over his head and got to work.

Tyler grabbed his arm. "Slow down. What the fuck happened?"

Jonathan shook him off and pushed the edge of the car with his feet until he could slip the jack underneath. He still couldn't breathe.

"Jonathan!" Tyler yelled and Jonathan's eyes went wide and he slapped a hand over his friend's mouth only to find that he fingers were shaking. He was nearly gasping for air and he glanced at the hole in the wall, praying those things didn't hear. He met Tyler's bright eyes, "Something's out there."

He watched the fear creep across Tyler's face and they both jumped when that piercing scream filled the air. Then the concrete beam closest to them groaned, dust sprinkled down on them lightly. Jonathan focused and pushed as hard as he could to get the jack underneath the car beside Tyler, then he started pumping the handle. The car shifted and so did the beam. "Come on!"

He went as fast as his arms would allow but it wasn't moving fast enough. Tyler shifted just a bit. "I can move a little. It's not enough, though. I think my legs are broke."

The screaming got louder outside. The beam was creaking above. The jack was moving slower than lava underwater and he refused to listen to Tyler. Because Tyler knew what was going to happen, but Jonathan wouldn't believe it.

"Jay -"

"Don't ' _Jay_ ' me!" Jonathan felt the tears swelling. "I'm not leaving you, Tyler!"

Tyler slipped his long fingers around his wrist and Jonathan let his hands come to a slow stop on the jack that had only moved half an inch. Tyler reached up to his mask and pulled it down. "Look at me, Jonathan."

Jonathan blinked back the thick tears and sucked in a breath, "Yeah . . ."

"There's something out there. It's coming and it doesn't sound nice. I don't know what is going on here, but I know you can figure it out. If one of us is going to survive, it's going to be you. We both know you can't get me out and this building is going to come down any second now." Tyler pulled him down close enough to where their foreheads were touching. "It's coming down and you better not be in it when it does. I want you to run, find your way out of this country alive. You're not gonna die here, you here me?"

Tyler placed something cold in his hand and closed his fist shut. Jonathan glanced down and opened his fingers and sitting in his palm was a tiny stone carving of a man with his head resting on his chin, thinking. Jonathan grabbed a fist full of Tyler's shirt in his hands and let a sob escape.

"Don't cry on me, that's gross." Tyler joked and let his own tears run down the sides of his face, making trails in the dust on his skin. "I love you, Jonathan. But you need to hurry and get outta here."

Jonathan sat back and brushed the hair off his best friend's head and grinned weakly. "I love you, Tyler. This hurts . . . . I can't . . . ."

"You _can_ and you _will_." Tyler glanced up at the creaking beam and back at Jonathan's watery blue eyes. "Now go!"

Jonathan stumbled back on his feet and grabbed his duffle, wiping at his face as he looked at him helpless on the ground. That was half of his life lying there about to die. That was his other piece, his partner in crime, his brother, his peace maker, his cornerstone. Everything he'd ever shared with him came flooding back to the forefront of his mind as he stepped further away.

 _He saw himself holding his hand out to Tyler who had just got pushed down by a group of young boys. Tyler had called them assholes and that was the first time he'd ever heard a kid cuss._

 _"What? It's just a word. It makes everything better." He had grinned and Jonathan knew that he was going to be the best friend he ever had right then and there. "Come on, I got some fireworks. Wanna throw 'em in the boys bathroom?"_

 _Jonathan remembered the day he told him that he was bisexual when he was nineteen and Tyler, who was stretched out on his bed, didn't even look up from his phone and said, "Does this mean you're in love with me?"_

 _"No."_

 _He threw his phone down and sat up, looking at him like he was offended. "What? Why not? I'm beautiful, you ungrateful bastard."_

 _Jonathan broke into a smile and wrestled him down until he gave up and said, "Honestly, Jay. I don't care what you like, you're still my best friend."_

Now he was walking away, about to let him die. His lip trembled again, his chin shook and he nearly choked. "I'll see you on the other side."

Tyler smiled and it was the last time he would see it. "Yeah. I'll see you."

Jonathan turned and crawled through the hole once more, his body still wanting to turn back and just lay beside him until the building crushed them both but that wouldn't solve anything, except maybe the ache in his chest. He convinced his legs to move until he was running with tears sliding down soaking into the mask over his face. He ran, never looking back even as he heard the building finally crumbling in on itself. He ran until he couldn't breathe. Until he heard the screams.

His feet slid to a stop at a small intersection and he saw headlights coming from the north. Probably another survivor fleeing from the hills. He waited, trying to stop the numbness that was trying to take hold of his body and his mind. He couldn't feel the dirt beneath his knees as he dropped to them in the night. The sudden realization that he was alone in a country that he didn't know, with an enemy he had yet to see, hit him harder than anything ever had. Jonathan wanted nothing more than to just lie there and die, give in and give up on what was left of this place. But he couldn't, not when Tyler had embraced his own death and told him to figure all of this out. He told him to live so that's what he was going to do.

Jonathan pushed himself to his feet as the car came down the hill and he looked straight ahead as another light flashed across his vision. Down the road was the sound of labored breathing and feet running as fast as they possibly could. He couldn't make out the shape but he knew it had to be another person and he was right because he heard a voice, "Somebody?! Fucking help!"

It was a guy, that much he learned as he watched the light getting closer and closer to the intersection. But then he saw what he was running from; two bright yellow eyes. He heard a gurgling noise, like a wet growling and he could only assume it was coming from the thing. He glanced back at the car that was close now. But so was the guy. His heart jumped.

They were going to collide.

He held his hands out in front of him, "STOP!"

It didn't stop him, he kept running but Jonathan understood because if he stopped . . . . that thing would get him. There wasn't anything he could do but watch as the car rolled through the intersection, the brakes squealing when the driver saw the guy run right in front of him. The front of the vehicle caught the man at the knees and his body slammed into the windshield, breaking it before he rolled over the top and hit the ground a second later immobile. But he wasn't the only thing that got hit. Jonathan stepped forward cautiously after the car took off again down the road and out of sight. The street was quiet once more and he shined his light on the two bodies lying still on the ground with dust settling around them. The man was still and the other thing much to Jonathan's surprise also looked like a man.

He squat down and rolled the body over to it's back to find that is was just that; a man. But his veins were black, blue, and purple running along his neck and face, all the way down his arms. There was blood escaping from his eyes and he pushed one of his eyelids open to find what he had seen in the dark. His irises were fluorescent yellow and glowed. He didn't know what that meant or what would cause such a thing but he remember he had seen more than just one of these in that alleyway. None of this had happened until the bombs fells, so the only conclusion he could come up with was that this was a virus, contracted and spread after the bomb hit the stadium and dispersed it into the air.

This was biological warfare.

A scream rang out from the body below him and he fell back, losing his balance as the creature jumped to life and threw itself at him. He held it back by the shoulders, keeping his arms outstretched and he watched it's teeth as it snapped relentlessly above him. It's mouth was bloody and it had flesh between it's teeth but he wouldn't let his join it. He held it by the throat with one hand and elbowed it in the face with the other, saliva and whatever else flinging into the air. Jonathan managed to bring his knee up and kept pulling into his foot was firm against it's chest and he pushed as hard as he could sending the creature back onto the ground. It scrambled just as fast as he did back to it's feet and it caught his eye again right before it lunged with a yell. It was strong. Almost stronger than a normal human being. It had more determination and Jonathan was struggling to keep it from taking him down again. He kicked at it's knee from the side and winced at the crack of bones and the scream it let out as it fell to the ground. He backed away and watched as it never let up, pulling itself along the dusty pavement by it's bloody fingernails.

"The head."

Jonathan glanced over at the other body he completely forgot about and saw the man trying to move. But he was in so much pain anytime he tried to push himself up he would collapse. He gave up and dug in his pocket and tossed a small heavy object his way. It slid to a stop by his feet and Jonathan bent down and unfolded the knife in his hand.

"Haven't you ever . . . watched . . . a zombie movie before?" The guy said between heavy breaths before he fell unconscious.

Jonathan blinked at him and then looked back down at the blade in his hand. His heart raced faster. He'd never killed anything in his entire life, not even the neighbor's dog that attacked him when he was thirteen. It was something he refused to do, something that he just didn't have in him. The dread ran through him, fast enough that his hair stood on the back of his neck and he was swallowing down the bile in his throat. It crawled closer and the only thing that convinced him were the screams that echoed through the streets around him from all directions. There were more getting closer by the sound of it and he didn't have any idea how many or how vicious or how fast. He shut his thoughts out and dropped to one knee beside the thing and rammed the blade straight through it's temple, hearing it break through skull and squish through brain. It fell still. Dead.

He breathed through his mouth for a moment to stop the gag that wanted to roll up his torso. He waited, until the screams grew louder and louder. Closer. He stood and wiped the blade on his pants and closed it, pocketed it and remembered who gave it to him. The man was still immobile when he jogged over. His forehead was bleeding steadily, blood caking up on his face with a mix of dust. He probably had broken ribs, more than likely broken legs from where the car hit him head-on. But if he could save him, he was going to try. He wasn't going to leave this guy out on the road to be killed by the things he was running from in the first place.

Behind them on the corner was a small store. He dragged the guy who was a lot heavier than he looked inside and found a few shelving units to barricade the doors with. He glanced around, sighing in relief when he realized it was a small goods store with pretty much everything he'd need in a survival situation. Jonathan found the aisle that held all of the first aid items and pulled the man along with him until he found what he needed. He propped him up against the shelves and wiped his face clean with bottled water, sterilized the gash on his head with alcohol and peroxide, then he ran around until he found sewing needles and thread. It wasn't his first time sewing up a wound. He'd had to patch up his own before in the middle of the woods during countless misadventures that Tyler would never let him live down.

He shook his head, trying to get that name out of his head. Now wasn't the time to think about him. He had to help this guy that was still alive. He got on his knees and in the light of his flashlight atop his hat he did the job. The man never woke up, luckily. He examined the rest of his body, finding tattoos in places like small stories. There was nothing he could do for his ribs other than wrap bandages around his torso. Nor could he help the breaks in his legs, but he made braces out of broken table legs and duct tape so he could keep them still and not damage them further. He did everything he could, to the best of his ability, then he fell back and turned his flashlight off when he heard the screams and groans just outside on the street. He watched the silhouettes as a large group of the infected moved by.

He kept quiet until they were gone and he found himself peering over at the man passed out beside him, beaten and bruised. He pulled his hat off and sat in on the floor, turning the flashlight on and inspecting his features. He had jet black hair, a strong face, muscles for days. He was Asian, that much Jonathan could tell. Good looking, wearing a black shirt with a white cat face in the middle. He felt himself grin but it faded when the guy coughed and sputtered, waking up and moaning in pain.

"Shhh." Jonathan moved close and put his hand over his mouth. The man's eyelids cracked slightly and he squinted in the light. Jonathan angled the flashlight away just a bit and crushed up pain relievers in his hand. "Open up."

He shied away at first but opened his mouth and Jonathan poured them in, followed by water and he watched the guy swallow them down and cough for a moment before getting still. He was hurting and that was all Jonathan had to offer at the moment. They sat in relative silence for a while with the occasional heavy sigh from the man until he fell sleep again in the dark. Jonathan fought it, but there was no use going outside again just yet. It was dark and he kept seeing fast shadows running by every now and then. So he stayed there on the floor with the stranger, only getting up to find something to eat.

Eventually sleep pulled him under and he had a dream that when he rolled that creature over on the ground, it's face looked remarkably similar to Tyler's. He dreamed he was running across rooftops until his lungs felt like fire, until he ran out of places to run and he fell off a cliff into a thick fog never knowing when he was going to hit the ground. Until he did and he jerked awake with something heavy on his shoulder. He turned his head to find the stranger leaning against him, pale and still passed out. The morning light was creeping in, but it was still early. He jumped again when there was a banging at the front doors of the store.

Jonathan laid the guy down as he got up and double checked to make sure he still had a pulse. He sighed when he felt one and gripped the knife in one hand while he pulled his mask up with the other. He slowly crept around the aisles while the banging continued, but then he paused when he heard someone speak.

"Hello? Is anyone alive in there?"

Jonathan peeked around a shelf and saw only one guy at the door, tall, male, alive. He could stay quiet but they'd get in either way so he stayed where he was and called out. "Yeah, we're alive!"

"Lui! Get over here! Someone's still alive!" The guy shouted and Jonathan watched another figure approach, slightly shorter and out of breath. "Hey, man! It's safe to come out now. Those things ran off with the sunlight."

"You sure about that?" Jonathan inquired as he made a move for the door.

"Yeah, for now at least. We've been out since the sun came up. They went into hiding I guess, so we're looking for survivors while we can." The shorter of the two said and Jonathan watched their silhouettes in case they pulled out weapons while he was pulling the shelves out of the way. But they never did and he sagged a little with relief. Hopefully they were people who could help him figure out this mess. He pulled the doors and propped them open, giving them a good once over.

The taller of the two pointed at himself, "I'm Marcel."

Marcel was lengthy with an average build, his skin was like mocha. He wore a purple jacket with the sleeves rolled up. Jonathan looked down at the shorter one and the guy grinned, dimples showing when he said, "I'm Lui."

Jonathan gave a small nod. "So where were you two when it went down?"

Lui rocked on his feet and pointed to the west, "We were near the hospital, eating a late dinner just a street or two down. Everyone took shelter in the hospital so we followed suit. No one wanted to come out this morning but someone had to check and see how things were. People could be dying out here, so we're looking for anyone still alive in need of a safe place."

Jonathan glanced back inside the store. "I've got someone here that needed a doctor yesterday."

"Where are they?" Marcel peered around him into the darkened building and followed Jonathan in when he turned.

"Here." He led them to the aisle where the stranger was still knocked out on the cold tile floor. "He's broke his legs, maybe some ribs. Could just be bruised but I think he has some internal bleeding too."

"Jesus, what the hell happened?" Marcel asked and Lui kneeled beside him.

Jonathan shook his head. "It happened just outside in the intersection last night. He was running from one of those . . . . _things_. A car came down the hill and they crossed paths at the same time. Hit him dead on. Hit that thing, too. I killed it then pulled him in here and did what I could."

"Damn." Lui muttered to himself and lifted the stranger's shirt. "Yeah, you're right. We need to get this guy back to the tower, like, right now or he could die."

Jonathan glanced over at Marcel who eyed him carefully. "What's your name?"

Jonathan simply stared at him before he reached down and pulled the man up off the floor by his arm. "It doesn't matter."

Lui and Marcel took turns helping haul the bulky Asian down the empty streets and up steps for at least three miles until they arrived on the front doorstep of the hospital that stood like a small tower in the sky. It could house plenty of survivors, what was left in the city anyway. It was thirty floors high with the first couple of floors reserved for wounded since the elevators were only running on generators. They couldn't risk anyone getting stuck in there when they were dying.

"Hey, David! We got another one!" Lui called out and a tall thin man in glasses and a lab coat came over with a gurney. He didn't say a word, just pulled the stethoscope over his ears and listened to the man's heartbeat once he was laid out on the bed.

"He's alive. Barely. I'll take him from here. Thanks, boys." The man said and Jonathan noted that he was Irish as he watched him wheel the stranger in the cat t-shirt away. It was probably the last time he'd see him in such a small cramped space full of hurt, sick people. He never liked hospitals.

"So does anyone know who did this?" Jonathan questioned and Marcel shook his head.

"No, we've been listening to the radio frequencies all night. There's nothing. Just static. So someone either took out the radio towers or they're jamming the signal. Either way, it was sabotage. It still doesn't explain why the bombs were dropped or who did it." He ran a hand through his short thick hair. "All I know is that it was a government job. The jets say that much."

Jonathan looked out the front doors at the pillars of smoke that could still be seen across the city. "They dropped a virus of some sort. That's the only explanation for why those people turned into what they did, _when_ they did."

Lui wrinkled his brow. "What, like chemical warfare?"

"That." Jonathan shrugged his shoulders, "Or just an experiment. Whichever it is, they won't let us leave this country. They're probably already sealing it off, restricting airspace within a hundred miles of Rio. We're stuck here."

Marcel crossed his arms and sighed dejectedly, "Yeah. Unless we find a way out."

"Or a cure." Lui piped in. "If that's even possible. Just thinking out loud here."

Jonathan tightened the duffle over his shoulder and walked out once more into the daylight. He pulled his hat over his head and turned it backwards. This was as safe a place as they would find. They needed to defend it and supply it. That was something he could get to work on.

"Where are you going?"

He turned, walking backwards. "I'm going to find what I can to help these people survive. Food will run out eventually, water, clothes, medicine. If I give us a head start maybe we can make it through this long enough the figure out what's going on."

Lui cupped his hands as he started jogging away, "What should _we_ do?"

"Stay here! Sort these people out! Get rations started! Find weapons, nothing loud!" Jonathan called over his shoulder. "I'll be back before dark!"

Hopefully, he thought. He jogged lightly until he found a tourist center and snagged a map that he laid out and made markers. He dotted pharmacies, convenient stores, utilities, bell towers, anything that could be of use he marked it and set out on his way.

Jonathan ran.

He ran more than he had in his entire life and the only thing that kept him going was that dark nagging thought in the back of his mind. He didn't want anyone else to die because of him. He didn't want anymore blood on his hands and if running, scavenging, saving these people kept his best friend's ghost away . . . . he'd run until his heart stopped beating.


	2. Chapter 2

The tower was all quiet. It was still in the early morning hours inside the hospital. Only the doctors and volunteer staff were softly stepping through the halls to begin another day of surviving.

Over the past month, the number of lost and found human beings that were brought in from the ruins of the city had decreased significantly. For a week straight, Jonathan brought back supplies and stragglers that needed a place to stay. The population increased within the tower and the thirty floors accommodated them all comfortably. But after that week, they stopped seeing people come in, maybe one or two, but natural selection seemed to be running it's course until there was no one else left to find.

They didn't really know what to call the creatures of the night, but somehow 'screamers' started to stick and it was sort of common sense. Because when the sun went down, the screams echoed through the small, winding, desolate streets. The screamers came out and any chance they had of sleeping soundly went out the window. The defenders, as they liked to call themselves, stayed on the bottom floors once they had moved all the sick and wounded up a few floors as not to draw in the screamers from the smell of blood.

The defenders consisted of the most willing women and men, a few in their late teens. There were only about ten of them all together but they kept patrols going on the bottom floor and outside the building along the wall they'd built over the past few weeks. The second floor housed their bunks all the excess weapons they'd accumulated thanks to Jonathan bringing them back with him whenever his bags were full. Rations were handed out daily and medicine was still in stock, but running low.

They had created a system of sorts, or better yet, Jonathan had. He was the mastermind behind it all and they followed him without questions. It just fell into place that he was leading them even though he refused to be called the man in charge. Either way, he was respected even though they didn't even know his name or what he looked like behind that mask he always wore.

He rarely spoke, but when he did he was very hush hush and alone in a corner with Marcel or Lui, sometimes David. Even then, no one knew his name, but they trusted his judgement and did as he asked. They moved the wounded up a few floors when he said to, they set up rations, built a perimeter, distributed clothes. All because he was the lone runner keeping them alive.

And as much work as he did, as much running as he did, he never stopped. He had set up drop zones just outside the hospital on top of buildings and the defenders inside would collect the supplies that he dropped off.

He came inside the tower very seldom, only to shower the dirt and blood from his skin and clean his clothes, or to communicate with one of the guys. He left just as quick, leaving everyone wondering even more who he really was. They revered him because he was a mystery.

* * *

The wounded were recovering, slowly getting back on their feet and joining society on the upper floors. Except for one and he came crashing out of his room, swinging his arms, yelling, heaving like he'd just run a marathon.

David came around the corner to find his assistant Brock tangled up with the man who'd been in a medically induced coma for the past month. Cat, as they liked to refer to him as since no one knew his name, they went off the shirt he'd been wearing when they brought him in. He'd broken his legs and in order to avoid confusion and disorder that they didn't have time for, David made the decision to keep him under until he healed properly. His legs healed a week and a half ago, but the fractured ribs were still healing, the bruises were still visible on his tan physique. The gash on his head had been well tended to before he'd been brought in, all that was left now was a pretty scar on his right temple.

David sighed and made his way down the hall where Brock's shoes were squeaking on the floor as he tried to calm the guy down.

"Get off me!"

"I'm not trying to hurt you!" Brock countered and David watched the man's energy drain while he tried to push Brock away. He practically wilted against the wall and sucked in air as David approached.

"Help him to his bed, Brock."

His assistant nodded and guided the drowsy man back into the room and got him to the bed where he collapsed. "Where am I?"

David took a seat next to him and checked his vitals, then put his flashlight to his eyes. "You are in the hospital, do you remember what happened to you?"

He blinked for a moment trying to recall a sliver of anything that had happened that would explain why he felt like complete shit or why he was in a hospital.

"What about your name? Do you know who you are?" David questioned.

"Evan." He ran a hand through his dark hair and fell back onto the pillows. "My name's Evan. I was . . . . running from something."

The memory was blurry, but it was there.

* * *

 _His ears couldn't really process what he was hearing but he was counting on his legs to get him away from the noise as fast as possible. It was working, but not well enough. It was right behind him and he chanced a glance back. It was the wrong decision. Two glowing yellow eyes were burning holes straight through him when he did. It's hands were reaching out for him as it screeched, the echoes bouncing around the empty streets. Evan turned and he ran harder than he ever had. He was fucked. He had no sense of direction, no companion because he'd lost her when the bombs fell. She ran, getting lost in the crowds. She was probably dead, but he brushed that thought aside. If he ever wanted to find her, he had to live first._

 _It was so dark, that's all he could remember. Sucking in air and running blindly with nothing but the dimming flashlight in his hand that was barely lighting the way. He couldn't move fast enough, it was getting closer. He found his voice and screamed for help. It was his last resort and just when he was about to let his feet falter he heard a response._

 _"STOP!" It came from just ahead of him and that was enough to keep him going. There was a light coming from somewhere and he saw the figure of a man in the stirring dust, in the light that kept getting brighter the closer he got. He felt fingers on his back as he ran into the intersection, he felt pain, heard the screeching of something. Either tires on pavement or the creature at his neck, maybe both._

 _Everything after that was too dark and hazy to make out. He remembered the feeling of being dragged. A knife. Someone pressing a hand over his mouth, hushing him. A mask? That was it._

* * *

"After that, it's nothing. It's black." Evan rubbed at his eyes and the doctor nodded, readjusted his glasses and wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Do you know what country you're in?"

Evan nodded. "Yeah, Brazil. Rio. I travel a lot."

"Good." The man held his hand out. "I'm David. That's Brock. You should relax, let your strength build back up. Then I'll get someone to show you around the tower."

"The tower?" Evan raised a brow.

"The tower, the hospital. It's the same thing. People here don't like to say they live a hospital so they call it the tower." David shrugged. "It makes them feel better about being confined to a building for god knows how long, I suppose."

Evan sat up. "How long have I been here?"

David glanced up at his assistant who chewed at his lip. "It's been a month since the bombs fell."

"Jesus Christ." Evan groaned and ran his hands through his hair. An entire month he'd been laid up in this bed while he could have been out there looking for _her_. He swallowed past the fact that there was no way she was alive. Not after a whole month of being out there alone with those things.

"Try to get some rest." David gave him a reassuring pat on his arm and left, his assistant right behind him closing the door with a gentle click. He was left alone in the silence and it was the last thing he wanted; quiet. Because when it was quiet, he couldn't stop thinking about everything he'd ever done wrong. Like bringing _her_ with him. But how was he supposed to know that there would be bombs falling from the sky? How was he supposed to know that he would be fighting for his life the next day, running, getting mowed over by cars, waking up in a makeshift refuge?

How as he so amazing at being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

* * *

"Lui."

He turned upon hearing his name while he was writing up a list of supplies they would be needing soon. "Sup, Nogla?"

"Cat's awake, he's kind of confused. I was wondering if you or one of the boys wouldn't mind giving him a rundown of the place." The Irishman twiddled his fingers while the shorter man grinned up at him.

"Sure thing." He winked and David rolled his eyes. "I'm making a list. Is there anything you need before I give it to our marathon man?"

David looked around, "Is he coming in today?"

Lui shrugged, "It's about that time. Every four days. So, probably. Again, do you need anything, Doc?"

"I need anything he can find. Anything could happen. Supplies aren't in the red yet, but we're cutting it close." He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. He never liked coming down to the bottom floors. It was too close to the outside, to the reality of what was out there. He liked his cold sterile confines in his office upstairs. "Still don't know his name yet?"

Marcel emerged from his weapon room behind them and crossed his arms. He had holes in his long sleeve shirt that looked like you could blow on it and it would disperse like cotton candy on water, it was so thin and worn. "No, he doesn't have to have one. But we'll just keep referring to him as Anjo, like the locals do up top."

"They call him an angel?"

Marcel turned back to his room to resharpen the machetes that had dulled. "Yeah, they look up to him and so do I. He's kept us alive and no one even asked him to. Everyone here owes him their lives."

"I know." David nodded. "Give him a pat on the back for me will ya? Cat's up on the fifth floor whenever you want to show him around."

Marcel and Lui watched him leave then gave each other a look. Marcel smirked, "Well, you're the designated tour guide. So . . . go ahead."

He gestured with his arm to the stairwell and laughed when Lui flipped him off and headed in that direction. "I'll be sure to let him know the dirty deets about our weapon handler."

"Yeah, like what?" Marcel called after him.

"Like how you trade off sharp objects for blow jobs." Lui snickered and ran up the stairs out of sight.

"Always a little bitch." Marcel smiled to himself while his best friend ran off to do his self proclaimed duties of helping everyone get comfortable with their new lives. Lui was always a good guy, always helping where he could and in a situation like the one they had found themselves in, he was essential to keeping the peace. He kept people in good spirits with his humor and his smile that ran through you when it graced his face. If he wasn't on the bottom floors roaming around taking orders, gathering up another list for Anjo, he was up on the top floors getting to know people, speaking to them in their local tongue of Portuguese and putting them at ease with updates.

But much hadn't changed. They were still sitting in the same tower, with the same people, with the same amount of information that they'd started out with, which was very little. They still hadn't made contact with anyone on the outside nor had anyone tried to contact them. Marcel feared that it was only a matter of time before something else was going to happen. He feared it would be worse that what had already transpired and in his mind, nothing could be worse than dropping experimental viruses in the form of bombs on top of thousands of innocent people. What could be worse?

The government trying to cover it up. Leaving them all to die, maybe. But until they found a way out, this was all they could do.

* * *

"Well, Cat, it's nice to see you awake." Lui said cheerfully as he entered the room.

The Asian looked at him like he was stupid, "Cat?"

Lui shrugged, "Yeah, you had on that dumb cat shirt when we brought you in. Nobody knew your name, so we made you one."

"It's Evan."

"Nice to meet you, Evan. I'm Lui."

He slid his legs off the bed and looked down at the clean white shirt on his chest. "Where _is_ my cat shirt, by the way?"

"Probably trashed."

"Thanks, that was my favorite."

"No problem." Lui chuckled. "Nah, for real. It was covered in your blood. Screamer blood, too. So it's either been cleaned and cycled back around into the civies clothes up top or it was chucked."

Evan opened his mouth trying to form a question, but he wasn't sure what the hell to ask first. Lui seemed to understand because he nodded and waved for him to follow him out of the room. "You've got questions. I'm here to answer."

Evan crossed his arms and he didn't realize he was barefoot until they stepped into an elevator and the cold metal crept into his feet. "What happened?"

The shorter of the two crammed his hands into his pockets as the elevator took them to the upper floors. "We've only come up with theories. Government obviously, but we don't know who's government or why, but someone dropped bombs for a reason and those screamers didn't appear until after everything settled down. We're thinking it's a virus that was dispersed from the first bomb that hit the stadium up the hill. People got infected, changed, started hunting people. We call them screamers."

" _Screamers_." Evan huffed. "Fitting."

It sent a shiver down his spine just thinking about that sound, like nails on a chalkboard. He could practically feel the fingers clawing at his back, the breath leaving his lungs. The elevator came to a stop on the twenty-fifth floor and he followed the guy out into the hallway that was bustling with people, natives, and the occasional child. Music was quietly drifting through the white halls and he dodged a kickball when it came rolling by followed by a few young teens. Lui led him down to a room full of tables that had been organized in rows. On top of those table were stacks of clothes and shoes, separated by size and color. It was a very clean system and he approved. Washers and dryers were pushed into a line beside each other on one wall of the room, quietly whirring while a few guys were folding clothes in a corner.

Lui helped him pick through the black shirts, but they never spotted a cat. Lui gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Sorry, dude. I'll keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, let's get you suited up. Grab you a shirt, some pants, shoes. Whatever you need. I'll be outside."

Evan dressed quickly, pulling slim deep grey jeans up his legs, lacing up black running shoes, and pulling a fresh blue shirt over his head. He met up with Lui who was speaking a language he didn't understand to a few people before he noticed him. They made their way back to the elevator and got out two floors up, mingling with more people until they came upon a cafeteria. Lui pulled him over to the food.

"So, you hungry?"

"I am."

"Well, you've been on a liquid diet for a straight month so you need to slowly incorporate solids back into your body or you'll be sorry. If you know what I mean." Lui educated him and gave him a heads up on what he could and shouldn't eat until he got back to normal. "So, start with tomato soup, work your way up to soup with potatoes, then solid vegetables, then pasta. So on. Got it?"

Evan nodded, "Got it."

Lui scrounged through the organized stacks of canned food on the shelves and found him some tomato soup and showed him where all the dinnerware and utensils were and where to wash them when he was done. He microwaved his soup and took a seat with the smaller man at a table and they ate in relative silence until Evan spoke up again with more questions.

His spoon clinked against his bowl, "So, how does this place have power?"

"There's a lot of useful people here. Electricians, plumbers, construction workers, translators. Kind of anything you need really. It's here. We worked with flashlights and backup generators the first few nights until we got ourselves together and went out on a small mission to the local power station. The electricians did their work and had whatever power there was rerouted to this building. If they didn't, we wouldn't have been able to save as many people as we did. So we keep that maintained, keep the toilets running, keep the water hot." Lui sat back and rubbed his stomach. "It works."

Evan looked around. There was one thing he still didn't understand. "Where do you get all the supplies?"

Lui opened his mouth to answer but he caught sight of a person that had just walked in. Evan turned in his seat to catch a glimpse of what he was looking at and he furrowed his brows when he saw a man walking their way. He was tall, lean. Very lean, he looked like a good runner. Probably didn't have an ounce of body fat on him. His black hat was turned backwards and a handkerchief was covering the lower half of his face. It looked like a skull. He unstrapped two heavy looking bags from his back and handed them off to a few people that were stocking food. They gave them their quiet thanks and rushed off without another word.

Evan couldn't help but notice how hushed it seemed to be in the open room. Like a silence fell over wherever this guy went. Evan turned back around and motioned behind him, "Who's that guy?"

Because he was very familiar. Something about him clawed at his memory, but he couldn't quite recall. He just saw flashes of the mask dance across his mind.

" _That's_ where we get all the supplies." Lui said in a hushed voice as the man got closer.

Evan eyed him as he walked past the table and motioned with his head for Lui to follow. He watched him get up and walk into a quiet corner with the guy and talk. What about, he didn't know, and he had enough sense not to ask. He quickly diverted his eyes when the guy glanced back at him, but couldn't help looking again when he turned back to his business. Evan noticed how fit he really was, from the way his shirt pulled around the muscles of his arms, to the loose fit of the running pants he was wearing. His shoes were worn thin.

He gave Lui a small pat on the arm and when he turned, heading back out the way he'd come, he caught Evan's stare and didn't let it go until he passed. His eyes were piercing and crystal clear; intimidating.

That left him wondering even more. How did he know that guy? Because he knew he'd seen him before, or at least the mask. Perhaps he'd seen him or someone wearing it in the streets before all the commotion happened. He shrugged to himself and brushed it off. There was no point thinking about it if he couldn't remember.

Lui slid back into his seat across from him and gave him a grin, waiting for the questions to start again and they did.

"So, he supplies this place?"

Lui nodded. "Yep."

"Just him? No one else?"

Lui nodded again. "Yep."

"That's a lot to do for one guy." Evan commented, just a little uncertain that he was telling the whole truth.

"It is, but he never stops running. Some say he doesn't sleep, but we all know you have to sleep eventually. Some call him a ghost because you never see him. He rarely comes in here when it's early like this, when everyone can see him. So you're lucky you saw him at all. Some call him an angel, their savior; Anjo." Lui sipped at his water.

"Anjo?"

He swallowed down the liquid, tapping his fingers on the table. "It means 'angel' in Portuguese, their native tongue."

Evan nodded and looked back around to see the back of the guy's head before he disappeared out of the door and into the hall.

"Okay, so he's a mysterious loner who keeps this place running and hardly speaks, but he talks to you?" Evan eyed him carefully. "What makes you special?"

Lui giggled, "Well, you see, I found him the morning after. Me and my buddy Marcel went out looking for people after the madness went down. Found him holed up in a convenient store. Even then, he had his face covered. So when he comes in he either talks to me or Marcel because he knows us. Or he talks to David."

Evan smirked, "Dr. Bean Pole?"

"The one and only."

Lui neglected to mention that Evan had been in that convenient store as well because he had a feeling that if he told him, Evan would go running after him. He wouldn't do that to Anjo, not when he knew he didn't like company when he ran. Lui also got the hint that Evan recognized him but couldn't place him.

The Asian mulled over his thoughts for a few minutes before he sat forward with his elbows on the table. "So no one else gathers supplies?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Anjo has a system and it works. He doesn't want people to interfere. It's dangerous out there." Lui stood and Evan followed suit. "Besides, no one's volunteered to run anyway. No one wants to."

Evan cleaned his dish and asked inconspicuously, "So what exactly does he do out there?"

Lui didn't mind his prying. "Well, he runs the rooftops, maps out the city, searches the buildings for anything we can use to survive; food, medicine, clothes, weapons. I go around and see what we need and give him a list when he comes in."

"Is that what you two were talking about?"

"Sure was." Lui took his dish from him and stacked it back with the others before leading him out into the hallway again and into the elevator. "Another thing. We don't use the elevator much unless I'm showing someone around or whatever. The civies stay up here on their respective floors, we stay down bottom, the doc's right above us, and we have plenty extra floors for whatever we might need them for."

Evan just nodded and tried to follow along with what he was saying but his mind kept wandering, a half masked man taking up space in his thoughts. Was he really that good that he ran alone and kept this entire establishment on it's feet? There were a good number of people here that needed protecting and for just one man to be carrying the weight of them all was astounding.

"I want to run." Evan blurted out and he was the first ever to do so given the look on Lui's face. They stepped out into an empty hallway where the air was moist and warm. They were on the third floor.

"You want to run?" He raised a brow at him. "Are you insane?"

Evan held back a laugh, "Just a little."

Insane didn't even begin to describe himself. Over the past few years he'd gotten into more shit than he could remember properly, from base-jumping off the side of a building in Kuala Lumpur to downing a shot of home brewed tequila with a scorpion on his hand on the coast of Indonesia. He'd done many things, some of which he couldn't remember but that was the life of a man with too much money and too many people after it. He'd left his home in southern California three years ago on his twenty-first birthday because his so-called friends and family and the occasional woman were breathing down his neck trying to get their claws on his small fortune. Only a few million and it drove people mad. Except for himself. He was smart and he invested, then he packed a change of clothes and his camera and got on a random flight. He went back every few months to make sure no one was dead in his immediate family, but then he ran before they caught wind of him being there. Travelling was something he loved to do and he didn't find peace any other way than finding something new to see and capturing it with a lens and a shutter to trap that memory forever.

He did it alone until he stumbled upon _Lucah_ . . . . now she was gone.

"Why do you want to run?" Lui asked him and opened a door into a big room of showers separated by chest high tile walls, closed in with shower curtains that had been cut in half and draped across with a hook for more privacy.

"Why wouldn't I?" Evan gestured around. "I can't just sit still and wait for help that's probably not coming. I have to do something. I know how to run."

Lui put up his hands in defense, "Hey, I'm not stopping you. No one is, but I'm not saying that _he_ won't."

"Who? Angel Boy?"

"Yeah, Angel Boy. He knows what he's doing. So just stay out of his way unless he approaches you."

Evan nodded in complete understanding. "Don't mess with the quiet guy. Got it."

"Like, he could probably snap your neck of he wanted to and you wouldn't know it until you were dead. Don't fuck with him."

"Is he a dick? Or just sensitive?" Evan snorted. "A sensitive dick?"

"Not really. Just lethal and precise. Smart. Watch your back." Lui smirked up at him.

"Will do, Short Stop." Evan grinned down at the guy when he shook his head.

"Okay, so this is where us dudes and ladies on the bottom floors shower and since I already knew you weren't gonna be comfortable up top with the civies, you can chill with us." Lui showed him to a large wall of lockers. "This is where we keep everything. Pick a locker. Towels, hang it up to dry, use it when you shower again. We limit showers to once every three days per person. Shampoo and soap is down here. Use as little as you can. But you can shower as long as you want. No big deal."

"Got it." Evan gave him the okay sign with his fingers.

Lui clapped him on the shoulder, "Good. You can grab a hot shower if you want. Meet me back on the ground floor when you're done. Take the stairs."

"Thanks, man." Evan shook his firm hand and stripped out of his new clothes when he was gone.

He fetched a towel and the necessities to wash off with and he let the water get hot before he stepped in. When he did, he finally felt the soreness, the ache on his sides and in his legs. He sagged against the tile and let the heat take his mind off of it before be drenched his head and let the water run in rivers down his back. The steam rising up around him cleared his head and he let it soothe his lungs. Evan still couldn't really process that this was happening, but he'd take it one day at a time like he'd been doing his entire life. Going from one extreme to the next. But this was the most extreme situation he'd ever found himself in, not that it would stop him. Even if he was more terrified than he'd like to admit.

He lathered the shampoo into his hair, feeling the dirt that had taken residence over the past month of his immobility. His muscles were weak and he knew that he wouldn't be able to just run out there and get started today. He had to work himself up to it and regain his strength first. There were plenty of stairs for him to run up and down. It was about the only option other than basic push ups and crunches. It wouldn't take him long.

He could do this.

* * *

"Hey." Scotty nosed his way into Marcel's area and quirked an eyebrow. "So, you have any shiny hand-crafted weapons you want to maybe let me have because I'm super awesome and you totally love me?"

Marcel stopped sharpening a dulled machete and spun in his chair. "That depends."

"Ooh." Scotty wiggled his brows. "On what?"

Marcel spun a sharp blade in his hand, "On how good you are with that smart mouth of yours. Convince me to give you this pretty little knife that I spent all night working on for you, because you're super awesome and I totally love you."

The dirty blonde let his lips curl up into a smile and he moved forward only to freeze when he heard a throat clearing behind him. He looked down at Marcel who was trying his best not to break into a laugh. Scotty squinted, "You dirty bastard. You set me up."

Lui giggled behind him and said, "And here is a demonstration of Marcel, our weapons dealer, about to trade off sharp objects for blow jobs."

"I wasn't going to suck him off, you bitch!" Scotty flipped them both off and pulled the honing steel he had in his pocket and handed it to Marcel. "I found these in one of the drop off bags just outside. Figured you could use them. Now give me the knife!"

Marcel laughed deep from his lungs and traded the man for the materials and watched him storm out like he usually did when he threw a temper tantrum. But he always bounced back soon after like it never happened. He was a cheerful guy most days and they bickered back and forth constantly to keep themselves entertained when things got too quiet. Lui stepped into the room with the man he'd helped carry all the way here a month ago; Cat.

"Marcel." Lui grinned and ushered the Asian in by his shoulder. "This is Evan. Evan, this is Marcel, our weapons guy. You need anything sharpened or repaired, you come to him. He'll take care of you. Also, he's the one that found you and carried you back here."

Marcel furrowed his brows for a moment, but caught Lui's wink and he understood. They weren't telling the guy that Anjo had actually taken care of him. It was a good idea since the Asian seemed ambitious and telling him that their mysterious savior had saved his life would probably send him running after him. Their supplier liked to run alone so they would divert any attention they could away from him while he worked, purely out of respect for what he did for them.

"I sure did." Marcel grinned. "You're one heavy mother fucker, by the way."

Evan gave a short laugh, "Sorry. I appreciate you hauling my ass back here or else I'd be dead."

"Don't mention it." He stood and shook his firm hand. He was a tad smaller than the first time he saw him, but it was because he'd been laying in a hospital bed for an entire month. So his slight muscle loss wasn't a shock.

Lui chewed at his lip and rocked on his feet. He had something on the tip of his tongue so Marcel cocked his head to the side and gave him a look until he let it spill out. Lui cleared his throat. "So. Evan here wants to run."

Marcel looked between the two of them until his stare settled on the taller of the two. The Asian's resolve never faltered as he stood there with broad shoulders and crossed arms. "You're serious."

"I am." Evan gave a single nod.

It was silent for a moment before Marcel gave in. "I mean . . . I can't stop you if that's what you want to do. But just a word of advice; don't get in _his_ way."

"I understand. Lui already educated me on your Angel Boy."

" _Angel Boy . . ._ " Marcel smirked and shook his head. "Anyway, like I said we can't stop you, but we can make sure you're not running blind out there. First thing, though, is that you should try to get some of your strength back. Exercise a bit for like a week or two and then we'll talk weapons and supplies. How's that sound?"

Evan agreed. "Sounds fair enough."

Lui perked up, "Well, now that all that's settled let me show you around outside."

Evan followed him out through the front doors and the mild breeze hit him in the face. He sucked in a long lungful of fresh air and sighed. It was warm but not too bad, it was spring weather still after all. He'd arrived in Rio in April, so it was May by now and he stopped when he didn't hear anything. Back then there was always a soft chatter that he could hear, or soft beats to local music, echoes of children's laughter bouncing through the streets. But there was nothing anymore. Only the stray call of a bird high above or the buzzing of an insect as it flew by, the rustling of the wind in his ears, the flap of clothes on a line. It was so . . . . peaceful.

"Weird, isn't it?" Lui glanced back at him when he realized he wasn't following.

"So quiet." Evan commented. His voice seemed to carry even when he spoke softly.

"It won't be so quiet when the sun goes down later. You'll see." Lui waved for him. "Come on."

His legs carried him along until they were standing at a big metal wall that seemed makeshift, which it was after Lui told him how they built it in three days. They had picked up large pieces of metal or pallets wherever they could find them in the city and hauled them to the tower. They braced it with whatever they could find and were always on the lookout for things to reinforce it with; more sheets of metal, or a simple stick, anything helped. He followed the guy outside of the fold-down gate and onto the streets where the silence was eerie, the wind like a ghost carrying the sounds of nothing, nowhere.

Evan felt his energy draining quicker then he expected it to when he followed Lui up a ladder that was attached to the side of a building. The guy grabbed his hand and helped him up they reached the top. His shoes settled on the concrete rooftop and he looked out over the city; the dead city. The ocean was shining against the sun in the distance and he listened carefully enough he could hear the waves crashing against the shore. He could see the stadium behind them, what was left of it, sitting in shambles, blowing dust into the air with each gust of wind. As he took in the sight before him, serene yet devastatingly sad at the same time, something caught his eye. There was a figure off in the distance moving at an impressive speed across the rooftops.

 _Angel Boy_.

"Anjo." He said out loud and Lui nodded as he looked out across the horizon.

"This is one of the drop zones."

Evan looked over and watched him open up a big black cargo box that already had a few things stashed inside of it. There were a few empty duffle bags inside as well. "Whoever is on duty will come up here or head further out to the other two drop zones and fill a duffle then bring it back in. We sort the things out, take them where they need to go, restock. Rinse and repeat."

"Every day?" Evan wondered and Lui gave him a small salute.

"Every day."

"Sounds fun." Evan stated and the guy burst into a high pitched laugh that surprised him.

"I'm sure you'll retract that statement once your ass is out here doing what he does." He giggled and loaded up a bag and threw it over his shoulder. "Come on, tough guy, let's head back. Not much else to see."

The wind pulled at his shirt and Evan turned his gaze back out to the lonely figure in the distance and witnessed him scale a building like it was nothing. He clenched his fists and let his resolve harden even more. He was going to run, it didn't matter what it was going to take or how long he'd have to work at building his strength back up to where it had been before the bombs. He was going to do it. He had to or else he was going to cave in on himself, drown in his thoughts and the reality of the situation they were swimming in.

Evan tore his eyes away and followed his new friend back into the tower gates, securing it behind them and heading back inside the where he was taught what supplies went where and who to give it to. He figured out where to go and where not to go, what was accessible and what was off limits.

But most importantly, he learned that the night had no rest in store for anyone. The screams were other worldly and they followed him into his dreams where he was running, gripping that flashlight in his hand so hard his fingers were probably bleeding. They followed him until there was that flash of light, that squeal of tires, until he felt arms dragging him somewhere safe. He tossed and turned in his sleep, the sound of footsteps echoing in his head and a voice he couldn't quite place was in his ear.

"Shhh." It was soft. He felt a hand over his mouth. His pain faded and then it was silent. Black. He woke with a start, flinching slightly at the scream that traveled past his ears.

Evan was sweating under the thin sheet on the bottom bunk where he could hear the rest of the crew snoring quietly. Lui was above him, mumbling in his sleep. He slipped out of the bed and let his feet touch the cold tile floor and he pulled his shirt on over his head. He stepped silently across the room, out into the hall, and made his way to the stairwell where he followed it down one floor to the ground lobby.

"Couldn't sleep?" Marcel inquired when he saw Evan walking by.

He stopped and looked his way, making out his figure in the dim light coming through the front doors. "Not really."

"It's difficult the first few nights." He said and came from around his desk that was set up outside of the weapons room. "I'll get you some earplugs. Maybe that'll help."

"Thanks." Evan said and looked back at the doors. A dark figure was coming through the gate just as the sun was breaking the skyline and he knew it was Anjo by the mask across his face. Marcel brushed past him and unlatched the heavy locks on the doors to let him in.

"You're back early." He commented when he came through the door and dropped four bags of miscellaneous items on the floor. The man stretched his shoulders and cracked his neck.

"Yeah, well I found all this shit and didn't want it sitting out until you guys picked it up." The guy rubbed at his eyes. "Somehow there was a shop down by the docks that still had power. Probably a back-up generator. The freezer was still working so I got all the meat I could find."

Marcel stared at him wide eyed, "Are you fucking kidding me, dude?! Real meat? We haven't had real meat in a over a month. Everyone is going to flip their shit."

"Chill out, this stuff need to be put on ice, like right now. Before it thaws out and something smells it out there." Anjo remarked and he let his eyes drift over to the Asian that was off to the side minding his own business.

Marcel waved him over, "Think you can carry some of these bags, Evan, or are you still pretty weak?"

Evan shook his head, "I think I'm okay. Just don't make me take the stairs or you'll have to carry the bags as well as me."

Marcel chuckled. "Don't worry, we're taking the elevator."

Evan grinned and risked a glance at Anjo who looked away when he caught his eye. Marcel looked between them and cleared his throat. "Right, so we'll let you get back to doing your thing and we'll get these up to the food court. Thank you, man. You're a fucking hero."

Anjo didn't say anything, but he gave them a small wave with two of his fingers and left through the front doors again. Marcel locked it behind him and turned back to Evan. "Alright, let's go."

He hauled two bags over his shoulders and followed Marcel into the elevator. "So, you're not gonna tell him?"

"What?" Marcel glanced sideways at him. "That you want to run? Hell no. He'd shut you down so fast it wouldn't even be funny. I think you'd make a great runner and we need all the help we can get. If he doesn't approve, oh well. He'll just have to suck it up."

Evan grinned at that. At least he had people behind him on his decision. They made it to the twenty-seventh floor and stepped out into the hall. Hardly anyone was awake on the floor so they made their way to the food court without any hold-ups. When they entered they found Lui and few others from the crew of defenders on the bottom floor sitting together at a table eating their daily breakfast ration, talking among themselves. Lui waved when they came in.

"What's that?"

Marcel smirked, "Meat."

He was right. Everyone flipped their shit. Evan found himself laughing as they swarmed them to pick through the bags and help them get it in the freezers before it thawed and spoiled. He didn't expect to feel so at home with these people, but they made it so easy as they clapped him on the shoulder and fixed him a plate of breakfast, leading them to their table to join them in their stories. It was like he was one of them and he'd only been up and moving for a day.

"So, Cat. Tell us your story." One of the women diverted the attention to him. She had kind eyes, but they were also cunning, always watching everything around her. She was observant and he found himself slightly nervous under her gaze, like he was going to say something wrong. She went by the name of Langley. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that wrapped around her shoulder. She was a tank-top, skinny jeans, and boots kind of woman and he respected her strong willed attitude.

"My story isn't interesting. I just flew here to Rio and the next day the apocalypse happened. I got hit by a car, someone dragged me to safety, and then Marcel found me the next morning, brought me here. Bean Pole put me in a coma, but you already knew that. Then I woke up, end of story." Evan shrugged and Langley grinned at him.

"Gotta say though, that's the most interesting story out of everyone here."

Scotty cleared his throat, "Yeah, she's right. We all just kind of found our way here. Most of us were here on vacation and happened to be near the hospital when it went down."

"But you." Murphy, the only other woman there; Asian, bold, and honest, pointed at him. "You said you don't remember who dragged you to safety and that is very interesting. What if he's in the tower right now?"

Lui caught Marcel's eye and tried not to let a laugh escape because he'd told everyone there what had really happened that day and they were all in on the lie now. They all knew who really saved Evan's life, who really dragged him all the way back to the tower, who really stitched his head up and kept him alive. It was as close to gossip and entertainment as they could get so they ate it up.

Evan eyed them and was about to speak again but Marcel broke them all up, "Alright guys. Let's leave him alone."

They all grumbled and went back to eating, waving him off when he got up and followed Marcel back out into the hall after he'd cleaned up what he'd dirtied. They went back down to their bunks on the second floor and dressed properly before Marcel took a jog with him around the building outside. They checked for any damage on the fence line as they went, watching out for anything unnatural.

Evan's lungs were stinging by the time they got around to where they had begun. His ribs were sore still and he hated feeling like this; so weak. But he kept going, he kept pushing himself and Marcel made it a routine to wake up and run with him so he wouldn't stop. Evan never did. He ran, each day getting faster, more agile like he used to be. He ran longer every time, his breathing evening out and soon he was running up ten flights of stairs without a hitch. A week later he was doing pull-ups on a bar in the weapon room while Marcel listened to music and sharpened blades. His ribs stopped hurting, he worked out the stiffness in his back and his knees and he felt like a new man by the time the two week marker of him being awake again rolled around.

Lui even let him run out and grab the drop off bags for a few days and each time he would climb up to the rooftops, he'd take his time and look around him, taking in the sight of the quiet city around him. It was so empty and just laid out for the taking. He didn't know why he romanticized such things but this was something he'd always wanted to experience; a place that was dead, filled with secrets, whispers, monsters. But who didn't want to know what it was like to live in a zombie universe? It was a terrifying situation but it peaked his interest more than any destination or any thing he'd even gotten himself into had. This was going to be the adventure of a lifetime and he couldn't wait to get out there and roam through the remains of the city himself. He wanted to help and explore and discover. This was his opportunity.

He made his way back to the tower and it was like they all knew, because they were waiting for him with items in their hands. Lui smiled, "I think you're ready. Am I right?"

Evan gave a small laugh as he set the bags down on the floor. Langley and Murphy picked them up and clapped him on the shoulder as they passed on their way to the elevator. "Good luck out there, Cat."

"Thanks, ladies." He gave them a wave before the doors closed.

Lui stepped forward with a runner's backpack in his hands. "Here, this is for your essentials. It's light, won't weigh you down. I've got a map in there for you, a flashlight, water, and some energy bars. On the map I've marked all the safe houses and any important landmarks."

Evan raised a brow, "Safe houses?"

Scotty stepped forward, "Yeah, Anjo has safe houses set up all over the city. It's where he sleeps. They're all up high out of reach of the screamers, so they shouldn't be hard for you to find. He's got them marked with bright blue cloths hanging from their rooftops. Hard to miss. So when the sun goes down, find one and don't come out until the sun does."

Marcel nodded, "Also, here's your weapons."

He handed him a small knife and a holster that wrapped around his waist, another smaller one to go around his thigh that was accompanied by another blade. He strapped them on him tight and stood back to look him up and down. Marcel nodded his approval. "Oh, here's some ear plugs."

"Thank you. I appreciate all of this, guys." Evan shook their hands. "Is there anything you guys want me to look for in particular other than the obvious?"

Scotty snorted, "Lotion."

They all shared a long laugh and Evan promised him he'd keep an eye out for it, or lube, much to Marcel's amusement. They waved him off and locked the doors behind him. Then it was just him, alone in an unfamiliar place with endless possibilities, with nothing to keep his thoughts from wandering to that dark place. But if he kept his feet moving and his attention focused on what was ahead of him, he'd be fine. So that's what he did. He hoisted himself up onto the rooftops, scanning the skyline for any sight of the lone runner, but found nothing so he pulled out his map and made himself a destination; the place he'd been when the bombs fell. The place he'd encountered the screamer.

* * *

Jonathan had to admit it. He was glad to see the stranger up and on his feet again in the tower. That was one more person that was alive and not dead because of him. He obviously didn't remember him and he was grateful for that. He didn't need anyone thanking him for something else. He didn't want nor did he deserve praise for simply doing what he had to do to survive and keep all these people alive.

It was dark out and he was sitting on the ledge of a bell tower safe house on the east end of the city breathing in the salty air as it rolled in from the ocean. This would have been his dream place; not a person in sight, the moon reflecting off the water in the distance, a nice warm breeze constantly blowing. But it was ruined by the echoing screams far below. Each night he could see their eyes in the streets like little flecks of yellow dancing about. Like lighting bugs flying away with the wind.

 _Really fucking loud lightning bugs._

The wind gave a gust and he saw a flicker of light a mile to his left, up high and very brief. He almost didn't catch it. He pulled his binoculars from his pack and took a hard look in that direction, not seeing anything until he caught that light again. It was the flick of a lighter in someone's hand. Someone inside one of his safe houses. He waited and finally saw the shape of a man against the moonlight before the light disappeared.

It was the first time he'd ever seen someone else up so high and . . . fully alive. The last thing he needed was some kid running around on the rooftops getting into things they knew nothing about. He didn't need someone getting themselves killed. Jonathan stashed the binoculars and climbed down into the bell tower to shut his eyes for a few hours, then when the sun came up he'd go check it out. He'd drag them back himself if he had to.

He always had the same dream. It always held the same face, the same tears, the same heartbreaking smile that his best friend gave him before he died. He always woke up right as the building fell.

The sun was shining through a crack in the wood beside him and he squinted before checking his watch. He sat up with a jerk and rubbed his face before getting his things together and climbing out into the open. He'd over slept by two hours and he was already wasting time going to check on the person he'd seen the night before but he couldn't just let it be. So he ran across the rooftops, sliding down a few of the ramps he'd made across town to make his running more fluid, to save time. He quieted his steps when he neared the safe house and scaled it all the way up to the open window.

There wasn't a soul to be found, not even ruffled blankets on the cot in the corner where the man had presumably slept. Jonathan made his way outside again and looked around, trying to see any sign of movement, coming up empty so he resumed his daily routine and started scavenging. He picked through buildings on a certain block until he was sure there was nothing left to find and made his way back to the drop zones just outside of the tower. What he found when he opened the boxes that were supposed to be empty, sent a feeling through him that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Worry.

Someone was out here running around, collecting things unsupervised. They didn't know what they were getting themselves into and they needed to be stopped. He felt anger swell along side the worry and he grabbed everything in the box along with the items that were placed there by someone else and he took off for the tower. All eyes were on him when he trudged through the door and dropped everything on the floor, heaving in breaths. He looked around the room at everyone and he knew that they knew by the looks on their faces.

Langley snorted but quickly coughed to cover up her laugh. Lui avoided his stare, Scotty skittered off to his own area with the others, Murphy grabbed Langley by the arm and pulled her away. All that was left was Marcel who stood tall and met his eyes, unmoved.

"Who did you send out there?" Jonathan asked, trying his best not to sound so frustrated about it. Marcel hesitated for a moment and that was all Jonathan needed, because he looked around and realized who was missing. " _The Asian_? You let him go after he just got on his feet again?"

"He's athletic and built like a fucking tank, man. I think he can handle himself." Marcel defended him and Lui stood beside him.

"Yeah, dude. He's totally cool. We personally made sure that he had his full strength back before we let him go and we gave him what he'd need to survive." Lui gave him a charming smile and a cheesy thumbs up. Jonathan sighed and rubbed his eyes hard.

Marcel stepped closer, "Listen, he'll be fine on his own. You don't have to worry about it and he won't get in your way. He won't bother you."

Lui was right there beside him, "Come on, give him a chance. He doesn't want to be confined to this tower anymore than you do. He just wants to help."

Jonathan glanced up at them, the two that had found him in the first place, the two he actually considered his friends. How could he argue with any of that? He huffed, "Fine. But if he does something stupid, I'm dragging his ass back here and I'm blaming the both of you."

Lui giggled, "Whatever you say, man."

So there Jonathan was standing high on a rooftop, scanning the city below with his eye for any sign of the guy, until he caught a glimpse of him in his binoculars. He couldn't miss that dark head of hair. The Asian was jogging across the roofs with a full bag already and that was his first mistake. When it got full, you didn't keep going, you headed back to the drop zone and stored it. Then you kept going.

Jonathan kept his eye on him but continued to search for things per his routine and self given duty, stopping every so often to catch sight of him again. Each time he did, his bag was bigger. He was going to weigh himself down, tire himself out too quick, and not have enough strength to run away if he had to. He watched him a few hours later when he finally did drop his bags off, which the amount of items he had to admit was impressive for a rookie. Still, he wasn't doing it the way he did, therefore it was inefficient and amateur.

Days passed and he didn't realize how obsessed with it he'd become. He got closer to him each day, watching his every move, his every mistake. Jonathan bit his tongue each time he broke something unnecessary, or looked through things that were irrelevant. He got so caught up in following him that he didn't realize where they were until the dead corpse in the road looked alarmingly familiar.

The Asian . . . . _Evan_ . . . . had gone back to the place where it all happened. Jonathan looked down on him from high above as he tried to piece together what went down.

* * *

Evan felt like this was the place. It felt familiar and he could see long tire marks from where someone had hit the brakes. There a small dark dried up puddle of blood near the curb and on the corner was a convenient store. Just a few feet away was a corpse, a dead zombified looking corpse and he figured it could've been the one that had chased him that night. He made his way into the convenient store and crept around the aisles with caution until he found one with stuff all over the floor. There were open boxes of gauze, bandages, a bottle of pain reliever.

 _"Open up."_ He heard in his head. This had to be it. This had to be the place he was dragged to and kept alive overnight.

Evan didn't know what he planned to get out of figuring it out, but it made him feel a little better knowing where he was that night even if he couldn't remember half of it. He walked back out into the street and he was certain of one thing; someone was watching him and they had been for a few days now. It was like he would catch movement in the corner of his eye every so often, or hear the creak of wood or metal beneath someone's feet. It was kind of aggravating, like they didn't think he would notice. But he noticed and he tried his best to ignore it.

Until night fell and sun was about to drop beneath the horizon and the screams rang free. Evan climbed up the nearest building and it never crossed his mind that someone could have been infected and been in a second story building because as he passed a window, a hand shot through it, breaking the glass and grabbing hold of his shirt. He didn't really have time to react and he felt something whip past his face and heard it stick in the screamers eye. Evan pulled his flashlight out and looked only to find a blade sticking out of it's face as it lay there dead as a door nail in the window. He pulled it out and knew that it was one Marcel had sharpened.

It had to be him; Angel Boy. No one else was out here, just the two of them.

The frustration swelled and he walked to the edge of the roof, about to do something he'd never do otherwise. He held out his arm and turned his back to the street below. He closed his eyes and let himself start leaning back until he was about to fall. That's when he heard heavy footsteps hitting hard on a tin roof behind him and just as he really started to fall he was hit by something heavy and the next thing he knew he was laid out on the roof with that skull mask staring down at him from above.

Anjo held a hand out and Evan took it, letting him pull him to his feet. He couldn't help but smirk, knowing he had been right about who it was. "So, is there a reason you're following me?"

The man didn't miss a beat. "Is there a reason you're so fucking reckless?"

The smile that spread across his face was completely unintentional and he was about to say something smart but a scream cut him off and Anjo was pulling him away to a safe house before he could get the remark out.

"Keep your mouth shut until morning." He said roughly as they climbed the building to the open window at the top.

Evan rolled his eyes, but kept his amused grin. "Yes, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

The screamers were overly active that night for some reason and there were more of them. They were either travelling in groups or there were more that were slowly finding their way into the favela. Their hungry cries echoed below as Jonathan sat on the edge of the window with one leg hanging out. The Asian was sleeping finally after two hours of awkward silences and suspicious stares. He was ambitious, Jonathan would give him that, but he was reckless and that ate at him more than anything. The man was built very well, he was strong, athletic, smart and was a good asset for the tower. But all of that was pointless if he didn't know how to get around properly. It was all pointless if he couldn't keep himself alive long enough to do any good. Jonathan glanced over when the man's arm slid off the side of the bed as he dreamed. At least he didn't snore.

The sun worked it's way up and as soon as it breached the horizon, Jonathan slipped back in through the window and gathered his things. The Asian stirred, rubbing his eyes before he sat up in the bed. He perked up when he saw the runner moving around. Evan stood up and stretched with an obnoxious sound. "So."

Jonathan stopped what he was doing and looked over at him. "So, what?"

Evan grinned, "Are you gonna drag me back home to Mom and Dad or are you gonna let me tag along?"

"First things first." Jonathan dropped his bag. "The only reason I'm not hauling your clumsy ass back to the tower this very moment is because they want to give you a chance. Second, I'm betting you do something even more dumb than what you did last night. _That_ will be the reason I take you back to Mom and Dad, because you don't know how to do any of this. So, yeah you can tag along but don't get comfortable because you'll be back to sleeping in a bunk by the end of the day."

Evan clutched at his chest and hissed. "Ouch. That hurt me deep."

Jonathan stared him down, but the guy just continued to smirk at him. So he grabbed his bag and secured it over his shoulder before he went for the window. "Get your shit. Let's go."

Evan grabbed his things and climbed down after him, shielding his eyes from the sun once his feet were on the rooftop beside the guy. "Well. Where to, Angel Boy?"

Anjo rolled his eyes and pulled his map out. Evan saw how much more intricate it was than his own. It was marked with pathways, symbols he didn't know the meaning of, random drawings up the corners. "Just follow me and please refrain from speaking as much as possible."

"Why? It's not like anyone's going to hear us."

Jonathan spun on him. "Rule number one. Do as I say, when I say. You got that?"

"Sure." Evan smiled. "I just don't understand why you don't want me to talk."

"Because I enjoy the quiet." Jonathan pocketed the map and started out at a jog across the rooftops. He gave the Asian a side glance. "Try to keep up."

To Jonathan's surprise, the man actually kept up. He was also pleased that he kept his mouth shut the entire time, but he knew the words were building because by the time they reached their destination, the Asian was restless. They came to a stop before Jonathan slid to the edge and lowered himself down through an open window into an abandoned house.

"So." Evan started once his feet were on the floor beside him. "What's your name?"

Jonathan didn't pay him any attention, instead he let his trained eyes scan the cramped house for anything they could use. He made a beeline for the bathroom where he found supplies in the small closet and behind the mirror.

"I mean, I can keep calling you Angel Boy if you want. Or dude. That's up to you, _Anjo_."

Jonathan stuffed his bag and turned, "Or you could just not call me anything and shut your mouth. How about that?"

He brushed past him and into another room, picking through the cabinets swiftly and moving on when they were cleaned out. He could see the Asian smirking as he searched his own area which was futile because it was a bookcase. Jonathan was getting anxious.

"Stop." He said firmly and the man dropped his hands to his sides. "You're wasting time looking through pointless shit."

Evan held his arms out, "Dude, then tell me what to do. Wasn't that the point of you letting me come along, so I could learn from the almighty wise one?"

He clenched his jaw. "Fine. Your priorities when you're searching should be containers; drawers, closets, cabinets, medicine cabinets especially. Look under beds for safes. When you first go into a room, scan with your eyes, if you don't see anything of interest, search the containers in the room and then move on. You need to be quick but thorough. Every second you waste looking in something completely irrelevant is daylight you're burning up. Look, search, move on. Got it?"

"I got it."

Jonathan returned Evan's nod and then proceeded out of the window and back onto the roof where they walked for a bit until they dropped down into another house. This time was much faster. They weren't in there more than five minutes which was a record for Jonathan. It usually took him around ten to fifteen minutes on a good day depending on how big the house was and how much stuff was in it. The time went by much better with two people and the loot was gathered in greater numbers thanks to the extra bags on someone else's shoulders.

All was running smoothly and Jonathan almost forgot there was someone with him until the questions started up again as soon as they emptied their bags at a drop zone and sat down the eat a bite.

"Okay, so why don't you let other people to run out here?" Evan asked and bit into his energy bar. "It'd be so much easier."

Jonathan sighed and flipped his hat around to keep the sun out of his eyes. "I'm the only one that wants to run and you're the first to volunteer."

"So I've heard." He grinned to himself before he let it fade as he swallowed down the granola. "You wanna know part of the reason I decided to come out here?"

Jonathan didn't even look over at him, "Not really, no."

"That's too bad. I'm gonna tell you anyway. I can't stand just sitting back and waiting while I could be helping. I'd go fucking crazy just walking in circles in there with everyone else. I don't wanna sit still." Evan shrugged. "Just the way I am, I guess."

Evan looked off at the horizon as the sun reached it's peak above them. He could recall most of his midday adventures in random countries when the sun was high in the sky burning down on him as he ventured through forests, sailed across lakes, walked the most dangerous trails in the world, jumped from the most gut wrenching waterfalls. Lucah never hesitated to jump after him, sometimes before. She was a fucking daredevil of a thing with a spirit that shined as bright as her hair and he missed her with every fiber of his being.

Jonathan watched him get lost in his head as they sat there on the edge of a rooftop, the tower just off to their right in the distance. It kind of unsettled him how much he could already relate to the guy. He needed to keep himself busy, he wanted to help. He didn't want to stand by while he had two hands to offer. It didn't mean that he was encouraging his reckless behavior, it just meant that they could use more like him. But someone who talked a little less.

"You said that was only part of the reason." He broke the silence and Evan looked over at him. "What was the other part?"

Evan grinned, "I just want to prove you wrong."

"The hell does that mean?"

"You don't think anyone else can get out here and do what you do and do it just as well." Evan stood and stretched. "And I _really_ like proving people wrong."

Jonathan stood and pulled his bag over his head, "You don't know shit, kid. The tower's close if you want to call it quits for today."

"Okay, I'm _not_ a kid. We're like the same fucking age. Also, you can't stand there and tell me that two runners isn't better than one." Evan held out his hands. "We got a lot done and it's only noon. We have six more hours and even though I don't have all the knowledge and experience that you do, your majesty, I think it's better if we keep doing what we're doing. That's double the supplies you're bringing back. Think about it."

"I _have_ been thinking about it but the more you talk the more I want to kick your ass off this roof." Jonathan said and he rolled his eyes at the way the Asian smiled. So fucking smug. Even if he did send him back to the tower, he couldn't make him stay unless he locked him in a room by himself and threw away the key. He just seemed like that kind of guy; persistent.

Jonathan sighed and rubbed at his face beneath his mask. "Just . . . come on. Let's go ahead and take all this stuff inside."

* * *

Marcel was sharpening a blade when he felt a ball of spit paper hit his arm and as always when he looked up, Scotty was smiling like a fucking kid. Marcel narrowed his eyes, "One more and I'll end you, you little fuck nugget."

Scotty stuck his tongue out, revealing another spit ball poised and ready to be blown through the straw in his hand. He brought it to his lips and blew with more force than was necessary and the paper stuck itself to the side of Marcel's face. He fell into a fit of loud laughter and almost fell back in his chair trying to get out of it when Marcel stuck his blade into his wood table and ran at him full speed.

"NOO!"

Langley flattened herself against the wall as they came running around the corner. She yelled, "Hey, watch it! Precious cargo walking here!"

Murphy snorted, " _Precious_? Who ever said you were precious?"

Langley glanced over at her partner in crime as they walked into the main foyer with the rest of the crew, "I was totally talking about you. Duh."

Murphy clutched at her chest and wiped a fake tear away, "Bro."

The brunette winked, "So, you think they ran off to go bang?"

"Scott and Marcy?" She raised her brow. "Definitely."

"Yeah, my gaydar is pretty on point. Mixed with your gut feelings, we're never wrong."

They made their fists bump but a banging at the front doors caught their attention. A dirty grin spread across their faces. "Now, that's a pair I'd like to see bang."

Langley walked over and began unlocking the doors. "I was just about to say that. Great minds think alike."

Everyone fell silent when Anjo walked in carrying three full and heavy bags followed by Evan who was hauling just as much. The tension was hanging thick on the no longer lone runner as he dropped the bags on the floor and stretched his shoulders. Everyone was staring, waiting on someone to speak. Evan pulled in a breath and just before he was about to let a word out, Anjo turned his head and caught his eye giving him a silent warning. Evan clamped his mouth shut and held back a giggle.

"Meet me up at the laundry."

Evan nodded instead of speaking and when Anjo disappeared into the elevator, he nearly snorted. "I think he likes me."

Lui stepped into the open. "I thought we told you to leave him alone."

Evan chewed at his lip and crossed his arms, "I _did_ leave him alone. _He_ came to _me_. The tightwad followed me around for days before he showed himself and then he had the nerve to complain about the way I was doing things. Like some golden boy in class that thinks he's better than everyone else."

"He _is_ better than everyone else." Lui said rather firmly.

"Listen, I'm just saying that I went out there and did my own thing and he had a problem with it, but he was also cool enough to let me tag along." Evan stood even straighter, holding his ground as Lui eyed him. "He taught me a few things, so maybe he's considering letting me stay at it. At least I'm trying to convince him."

"Okay. Just respect him, please. He looked aggravated."

"I'm not going to tiptoe around someone who has a stick up their ass. If he let's me stick with him, then that's great. But I'm going to be me and do what I have to do and if he doesn't like it then he can put as much distance between us as he wants. I'm _not_ giving up this running thing. People need us." Evan ended his argument and headed for the elevator once it reached the ground floor again with a tiny 'ding'.

They all eyed each other for a moment when a silence filled the open space. Murphy cleared her throat, "Alright, well that was entertaining."

"Let's get these bags sorted and where they belong." Langley pulled the newest defender members to their feet and had them start pulling the contents out of the duffles and categorize them on the floor.

Cat was the most gossip worthy thing that had happened to the tower in the entire two months it had been established. He was the coma dude, the new face, the first guy to question Anjo and take to the rooftops. He was different and they all knew it. The fact that Anjo hadn't sent him back the first second he saw Cat out there, meant that their savior knew he was different too. Langley looked up and caught her best friend's eye and she could tell that Murphy knew what was on her mind. That cheeky grin said it all.

"What did we miss?" Scotty walked back into the foyer with Marcel behind him, a darker shade on his skin than was normal.

"Too bad you were banging because you missed Cat and Anjo. It's a huge possibility that we have another official Anjo-approved runner with us." Murphy looked them up and down, smirking at Scotty's disheveled hair. "You have sex hair."

"I do not!" He turned a deep shade of red and Marcel was smiling as he settled back down at his grinding stone.

"It's okay to be in denial, dude." Lui giggled and accepted the middle finger that was directed at him.

"So, Evan got in his good graces?" Marcel wondered while he slung sparks in his corner.

"Not exactly. Anjo followed him, criticized him, then taught him a little. Now Evan is trying to convince him to let him stick with him." Lui picked at his fingernails. "But even if he doesn't approve, Evan will still get out there and do it. I think he just wants to prove him wrong."

Marcel hummed. "That's cute."

"Right?" Langley pitched in.

Scotty's head snapped in their direction, "No, don't even start that shit again."

Murphy narrowed her eyes at him, "Why? Because once upon a time we said you and Marcel had the hots for each other and now you're running off to poke each other in the butt every chance you get?"

"What?! No!" Scotty stumbled over his words and started to fume when Marcel laughed at him. "Shut the fuck up! We don't! And all you two perverts think about are dudes fucking!"

The girls both shrugged, "Yeah, pretty much. There's nothing else to keep us entertained. Besides, you guys are gay, so I don't even know why we're having this discussion."

Scotty stood abruptly, trying not to rip his hair out. "We're not gay, goddamn it!"

Marcel sighed and shook his head. He set his blade down and stood, making his way over to his frustrated friend who was breathing heavily trying to calm down. Scotty swallowed and felt his back hit the wall behind him when Marcel took his face in his hands and kissed him right there in front of everyone. They whistled and cat-called when Scotty gave in finally and tilted his head, making the kiss deeper. Just how he liked it.

Marcel pulled away, "They all know, genius. Stop trying to play straight when all you do is flirt with me and threaten to suck my dick if I don't give you what you want. Because it's totally _not_ a threat and you're not fooling anyone."

He walked back to his side of the foyer, wiping his lips while Scotty was still stuck to the wall by his chair. He finally peeled himself off and said quietly, "Okay then."

Langley clapped her hands once, "Alright! Now that _that_ is settled, everyone grab a bag. Let's go."

* * *

Evan didn't know what else he could say to try to convince Angel Boy that he was good enough, but it didn't matter either way. He walked out into the hallway and everyone eyeballed him as he passed by and made his way into the room full of apparel and washing machines. It was silent in the room and Anjo had a small stack of clothes in his arms. Evan approached him and the man held them out for him to take.

"What are these?" He raised a curious brow.

"Clothes."

"Oh shit, you're a comedian, too?" Evan stepped back in fake shock.

Angel Boy wasn't fazed. "These are the clothes you should wear . . . when you run."

The meaning of his words sunk in fast and Evan was grinning. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

The runner blinked, "You'll need to change your shoes every so often. They'll start to wear and you need your feet to constantly be supported."

Evan nodded, still grinning at him. It obviously made the guy anxious by the way he was using his words to get away from it. He walked to a different stack of clothes. "Underwear. Wear briefs. Always have a few extra pair on you. You will run outrageous holes into them and you don't want your thighs rubbing because it's fucking torture when you start sweating. Got it?"

"Got it. Always have extra undies." Evan gave an okay with his hand.

"Shirts. Wear something thin and breathable. That's just common sense. But I'll say it anyway because I don't how thick that skull of yours is yet." Anjo smirked, Evan could tell by the way his eyes crinkled just slightly in the corners.

"You're fucking hilarious." Evan cocked his head to the side and frowned.

Jonathan felt a wave of nausea roll through him, along with the memory.

* * *

 _"Where are you?"_

 _Tyler gave a short groan before he coughed. It sounded wet and he knew that wasn't a good sign. "I'm under a bunch of shit, that's where."_

 _"You're fucking hilarious."_

* * *

"So what about pants?" The Asian pulled him back to reality and he hushed the echoing image in his head and walked toward a stack of running pants, thin, loose and designed for a specific purpose.

"These. I've got special stacks here just for me. They'll always sort the clothes I need apart from the civilians so it shouldn't be hard to pick out clothes if you get confused."

Evan gave a thumbs up, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You're welcome. Now, let's go to the mess hall."

As it was with every other place Angel Boy went, the mess hall fell silent when they entered. But everyone's eyes fell on Evan more than they did on Anjo. It was understandable though, considering their savior never had anyone following him like a dog. Evan ignored the curious looks and walked with him to a table that always had a black running pack sitting on it. He never wondered about it, but he learned what it was.

"This table will always be stocked with a bag of food for when mine finally runs out. I'll tell them to make two bags instead of just one now." Anjo took the empty bag from his shoulder and swapped it out. He spun Evan around and checked his bag. "You're still good. But when you get low and need a pit stop, just run in here and get a new bag.

"Okay." Evan nodded and saw a child running their way out of the corner of his eye. "Small creature at your six o'clock."

Anjo turned around a second later and the kid skid to a halt in front of him. "Nana Maria wants to see you before you leave again!"

He gave the boy a nod and he could already hear the question before it came out of Evan's mouth. "She let me use her shop as shelter when the bombs fell. That's all you need to know."

Evan closed his mouth and followed him out into the hallway where everyone parted for them like the Red Sea. He chuckled to himself, "Maybe I should just call you Moses."

Anjo had no response, just stiff shoulders and a detached disposition. Evan pursed his lips, disappointed as the lack of appreciation for his amazing wit. The man was very good at ignoring pretty much everything and that only increased Evan's resolve to get under his skin. As much as these people worshiped him, he needed to loosen up.

* * *

Nana Maria was a very small dark leather skinned native who looked like she had seen her fair share of horrors and had many stories up her sleeve. Evan liked her immediately just because she gave off a very wise vibe and he could see the spirit in her bright kind eyes. She had her own hospital room where children seemed to accumulate, like it was a daycare of sorts. She was sat up in a chair near a window so she had a view of the city that was once her home. Her face wrinkled with a grin when they entered the room.

"It's nice to see you're making friends."

Anjo shook his head, "He's an acquaintance not a friend."

Evan clutched at his chest again, "Wow, that hurts, bro." He grinned when Anjo gave him a hard stare.

"What did you want to see me for?"

She stood and opened the window, letting in some fresh air. "I wanted to ask you how your search was going? Has there been any sign of my daughter?"

Evan's amused grin faded when he caught the look on her face as she looked longingly out at the city below. It seemed everyone was missing someone. He glanced around at the children running around them, their laughter so innocent and oblivious. Perhaps they had lost their parents and this was the only place they had to stay, in the arms of this woman who looked after them while her own child was lost.

"No, nothing. I always keep an eye out, but there's only so much I can do, Maria. It's been two months already. If she's still alive, I don't know where." Anjo pulled his hat off and ran his hand through his hair before he put it back on. "To this day I still haven't seen a living person out there. There may be some in the city but it takes too long for me to get out there and come back before the sun starts to set. I can't search it long enough before I have to turn back. Maybe one day I can set up some safe houses further out and stay out there more, but for now, I have limits."

Evan stepped up beside him, "But now I'm out there, too. So we'll be able to cover more ground. Who is your daughter?"

He could feel the runner staring holes into his face but he kept his eyes set on Nana Maria when she turned and grinned sadly at him. "Her name is Livia. Beautiful, radiant. Long brown silky hair and eyes like earth, so full of life. If you ever see her she has a small family tattoo on her left wrist."

Evan nodded and chanced a glance over at Anjo who was rubbing his eyes tiredly. When he thought about it he didn't think the guy had slept all night, he was too busy keeping a suspicious eye on him. He felt guilty for a moment but threw it aside just as quick. It was his own fault for not shutting his stubborn eyes when he had the chance.

"And she's pregnant." Anjo said and Evan's eyes widened.

"What?"

"By now she should be close to her due date."

"Then why are we still here, shouldn't we be getting more people to help look for her?" Evan pressed.

Maria sat back down, "He does not believe she is alive."

"Why not, Moses?" Evan questioned and Anjo glared at him. "You don't think a woman can take care of herself out there?"

"No." Maria shook her head calmly. "He does not hold onto hope."

Anjo turned to leave but Evan grabbed his shoulder until he stopped. "You just run from everything don't you?"

He spun on Evan, twisting his wrist up against his chest. "I run because it keeps everyone here alive. I do what has to be done. Looking for someone who probably hasn't had food or strength for two months is pointless. You should know how I feel about doing pointless things. Do me a favor and don't touch me ever again."

He pushed him away from him and left through the door as the children kept playing mindlessly, ignorant to the events that had just unfolded. Evan rubbed at his hand and gave Maria an apology with his eyes before he followed after him. He managed to jump in the elevator with him before the doors closed. They rode it down in silence and before they reached the bottom Anjo said, "Change your clothes and meet me outside. The faster you are the happier I'll be."

"I had no idea my goal was to make you happy." Evan straightened his shoulders and walked out first when it came to a stop. He turned, "But I'll make it quick, your highness."

Jonathan narrowed his eyes as the Asian disappeared into a room. He walked out into the foyer and he caught Lui's eye, "I should have left him in the fucking road that night."

Lui giggled, "Come on, he can't be _that_ bad. Considering you haven't killed him yet."

"I'm pretty close."

Marcel propped his legs up on his table, "If you don't like him then why are you hauling him around?"

"Because he's right. Two is better than one. Even though _one_ is how I like it. Nice and quiet." He sighed when he saw him come out of the room in record time, looking like his twin pretty much except the shirt was grey not white.

Langley whistled, "Look at you, hot stuff."

He gave her a wink and clapped Jonathan on the shoulder as he passed, completely ignoring his request not to touch him ever again. "Let's go."

Anjo rolled his eyes and turned while everyone was throwing stupid smiles at him. He hated them all for encouraging Evan in the first place. The Asian held the door for him and bowed, "After you, my king."

"Shut the fuck up, please." He muttered as he walked out into the sunlight once more.

"Sir, yes sir."

"You're not gonna shut up are you?"

Evan let a smile show as he jogged past him. "Absolutely not."

* * *

Jonathan's routine stayed the same pretty much except he had a fly in his ear now. A helpful fly, but a fly nonetheless. The first night was the best because even though Evan kept running his mouth about anything and everything, he was holding his tongue as much as possible. It was like he was trying his best to be likable but when it got too quiet, he had to say something to stir the dust again.

Evan wasn't a bad person in Jonathan's eyes, just the kind of guy that didn't like to act serious when their entire lives were counting on it. It was like it went against everything within him to be quiet or normal for five seconds. He didn't particularly care that he talked so much because he was good at tuning him out, but after that first night with him, things started to escalate and he could feel his nerves being tested. The Asian was fast to develop obnoxious habits, like sneaking up behind him while they searched darkened buildings just to whisper something stupid in his ear and run off before he could turn around and strangle him.

"I'll leave you in the fucking streets tonight to be eaten if you don't cut it the fuck out." Jonathan stated calmly and watched as Evan fiddled with a locked box in an abandoned bedroom.

"Nah, you'd miss me."

"I highly doubt that."

Evan looked up and gave him the same smug grin he always did, "You just wait. One day you'll be calling me your best friend and wondering what life was like without me."

Jonathan just continued to stare blankly at him before he started digging around in the bathroom.

It wasn't until two days later that Evan started asking him questions, personal questions and Jonathan was doing extra well at completely ignoring him. It seemed to encourage the man other than keep him from asking again. At that point Jonathan came to the conclusion that he was either going to have to give in or just continue to take it. It was a lose/lose situation, but considering how much he didn't like to have contact with anyone, keeping his mouth shut wasn't going to be a problem. So, he let Evan talk . . . . and talk and talk.

"Hey, I got another question." Evan caught up to him while their feet pounded on a tin roof as they made their way across town. "What's your favorite color?"

Jonathan didn't answer as usual.

"You know, hippo's sweat turns red when they're upset." Evan said randomly and Jonathan looked at him like he was an idiot. "So if I were a hippo I'd be raining red right now. Your lack of responses is killing me, dude."

Jonathan turned his eyes forward, "I'd always be red with you around."

"Oh! He speaks!" Evan laughed. "Come on, man. Lighten up a little, I'm the funnest person you know."

" _David_ is more fun than you."

"What?! Bean Pole David that doesn't like to come out of his office because he's a hermit?" Evan was waving his hands around as they kept a steady pace. "No way he's more fun than I am."

"He hardly speaks and I rarely see him. So he's a thousands times better than you already." Jonathan slowed to a stop and dropped down to a lower rooftop on the edge of the west side of the favela markets.

"Hey, why aren't we going further down and starting with those down near the water?" Evan questioned when Anjo lowered himself down into a window that he followed him into.

"I'll tell you later. Let's search these few shacks first."

"Yes, sir." Evan gave him a small salute. "I'll go downstairs."

"Stop calling me, 'sir'." Jonathan bit.

Evan held his hands out, "If you'd tell me your name, I'd stop. So don't get pissy with me for something that's entirely _your_ fault."

Jonathan clenched his jaw and headed into a kitchen to scour for canned foods and spices. He found a handful and loaded his bag while he heard Evan banging around in the house below him. It didn't take them long to clean out the small row of houses. An hour maybe and by then it was three in the afternoon and they had some time to spare afterwards. So, Jonathan did as he said and showed Evan why they weren't going down closer to the water. Evan followed him down onto the barren streets and walked with him until the reach a point in the road where a red line had been painted across the ground.

"The fuck is that?" He questioned.

" _That_ is a red line."

" _God damn_ you're funny. How are you still single?" Evan rolled his eyes and Jonathan got some sort of satisfaction from his displeasure. He shrugged it off and looked off down the road again where it cleared and turned into the main highway and fishery shops.

"I put that there so that I know where to stop running."

"So, it's a boundary?"

"Yes."

"For what?"

"The government." Jonathan stated and pointed a finger out at the road just beyond the line. "See all those little holes in the ground just there?"

Evan squinted and moved forward just a bit, stopping when Anjo put his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I see it."

"That's how I found out how far I could go without them shooting me."

Evan furrowed his brows, more than confused and a little angry. "You're saying that there's government assholes out there right now, shooting anyone that tries to leave, but don't have the balls to come in and help us?"

The runner nodded. "Yeah, they shot at me for three days straight until I had a boundary line drawn on my map. I'll let you see it when we head in for the night. They have barriers up in some places, signs at others. I don't know about the city, but I know how far we can go inland and around the favela."

"That's uh . . . fuck, dude." Evan rubbed the back of his neck as he paced. "We're fucking trapped here."

"Quarantined."

"That sounds even worse." Evan cut his eyes at him. " _We're_ obviously not infected, so why the fuck won't anyone come help us?"

"I don't know. We're working on it." Jonathan shrugged and watched the fear settle and turn into determination on Evan's face.

"We?"

"There's people in the tower trying to set up some form of radio communications with anyone out there that's listening. That's all we can do right now."

"Okay." Evan put his hand on his hips and nodded to himself. "Let's go then. We're not doing any good just standing here."

Jonathan grinned beneath his mask. Evan was finally getting it. He was getting why Jonathan never wanted to stop and enjoy the scenery or dig through unnecessary things or search for people that were probably dead. He ran behind the Asian as he guided them towards a drop zone on the west side of the tower. The longer he watched him, the more he felt like maybe he was wrong about him, but that's exactly what Evan wanted him to think. He wanted him to think that he wasn't a lost cause out here. But in the end Jonathan knew he'd always feel like he needed to watch his back and time spent watching out for someone else was time he was wasting. On the other hand, Evan was an asset. Two more hands to help search and carry was worth the time and patience that he was losing. Evan was worth it, but after a week and half of running with him buzzing in his ear like a gnat, Jonathan would never tell him that. Nor would he tell anyone else.

He didn't want to admit it himself, because that meant that he would have to care. Jonathan couldn't afford to care about anyone any more than he cared about why the grass was green. All he needed to care about was finding out the reason behind the bombs and how to get everyone out alive at some point. He wanted to save these people but he didn't want to know them. He didn't want to get involved with them more than he had to. He didn't want to worry.

Jonathan just wanted to run.

* * *

The sun dropped fast after they emptied their bags for the night and headed for a safe house. Jonathan climbed his way up to the open window above while Evan emptied his bladder off the side of the building below. He jumped in behind him shortly and fell to the single bed in the lofty room. Jonathan was toeing his shoes off as he sat back in a large chair, sighing behind his mask and he knew Evan was about to start talking again soon. He absorbed the silence while he could. He closed his eyes and listened to the faint crashing of waves and screams of the gulls in the air before a voice interrupted it all.

"So, it's a virus?" Evan wondered with his arms behind his head and a leg hanging off the bed while the breeze blew past them.

"I think so."

"And you think that the government dropped it on us?"

"Yes."

"And they are keeping us pinned in here like animals, just so they can sit back and watch."

"Yes."

"Sounds like an experiment to me."

Jonathan opened his eyes and looked over at him laying there. He was the first person to agree with him on that. "I know, that's what I said but not everyone is convinced. They think war maybe."

Evan hummed, amused. "Yeah right. Let's just bomb these Brazilians for no fucking reason and turn them into zombies and let the survivors slowly die off and shoot them if they try to leave. That's bullshit. They're stupid if they don't think this is all just a big game to whatever government did this. Governments do this kind of shit all the time and no one hears about it. Little things, big things. It's all in the media and how well they pay everyone off. I wouldn't be surprised if no one on the outside knew that any of this was happening."

Jonathan let his head fall back again, "Well, that's one thing we both actually agree on."

"See? We're getting along so well already." Evan cracked an open and waited until he sighed and looked over at him again.

"Slightly."

Evan grinned. "A lot-ly."

"I'd watch out if I were you. I could suddenly develop a sleep-walking habit and gut you in your sleep." Jonathan blinked slowly. "By accident."

Evan just smiled and turned his gaze to the fabric that was hanging across the ceiling. Vibrant yellows and oranges, a hint of red. Beads hung in random places, moving like snakes with the wind. "Well, sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don't drift away from one another. If you want to hold my hand while we sleep so you don't sleep walk out the window, that's cool with me."

Anjo didn't respond just like Evan expected while the sky darkened even more and he found himself drifting off to sleep with that skull mask in his head. He always wondered what he looked like behind it. Was he scarred or did he just like the look? It was just one more obstacle that Evan was bound and determined to overcome. He didn't care how long it took because for all he knew this was where he was going to be for the rest of his life; running around Rio with a bag on his shoulder and the sun staring him down, the salty wind sticking to his skin. He kind of liked that idea.

He opened his eyes again when his dream refused to continue. The sky was a pale purple and there was a dark figure looking out of the window as the screamers ran off with the light. Morning was upon them as another day coaxed the sun over the horizon and pulled Evan into a sitting position. He rubbed at his eyes and started pulling his shoes back on when Anjo finally turned around from the window and the calm scenery.

"A few more minutes and they should be gone."

Evan nodded silently and followed him through the window when the time came, running. Forever running. Evan did what he did best, which was talk to keep his mind off everything.

"So, again. What is your favorite color?"

"What's yours?" Anjo countered.

"Red." Evan said without thinking and then shut his mouth when the short conversation died after the asshole had turned his question around on him. He got excited there for a moment. "You're a bitch, Angel Boy."

Anjo kept jogging down the street, paying him no attention until he stopped dead in his tracks and said, "Whoa."

The runner looked back and came to an abrupt halt. "What?"

Evan bolted into a store and Jonathan followed reluctantly when he didn't come back out. "The fuck are you -"

"Dude!" Evan's head popped up from across the shop. "Can we take this back with us?"

"Whaaaaat?"

"It's a Furby! I haven't seen one of these things since I was like, eight!" Evan said excitedly until Anjo rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

There was a loud bang as the Furby hit the wall beside his head. Jonathan snapped his head around and glared at he Asian who faked confusion and looked around with his hands in the air. "Oh my god! Who did that?"

Jonathan had never rolled his eyes so much in his life. It was starting to hurt and it was moments like these that he silently wished that the guy was still in a coma. "Gosh. I don't know, it couldn't have been the only other person in the room. Evan."

"Did I scare you?"

"Hardly." Jonathan picked up his speed again when they were in the street. They ran for a few more minutes until they came upon their destination; the police station. It was a place he had been working his way towards for weeks, but he had put it on hold when Evan joined his ranks. He figured he was knowledged enough now not to slow him down too much. They walked into the empty building where the light fixtures were dangling from the ceiling and a thick layer of dust had settled on the floor.

"Tell me why we're in a police station. Do they have food stored here that I don't know about?" Evan asked and poked around behind the front desk. "This place is a fucking dump."

"We're here because we need weapons." Jonathan said distractedly as he searched for keys. "I have a feeling there are other people out there somewhere and if the government doesn't kill us first, or the screamers, I think a rogue band of survivors will."

"Like on The Walking Dead?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, let's hope that no one else out there discovers the great treasures of the tower. Full of noisy civilians, canned spam, and hot showers. What's not to love about that?"

Jonathan yanked at one of the doors and it gave a bit. "Come help me get this thing open."

Evan slid up against his shoulder and pulled the handle with him until it squealed and fell open, three or four bodies piled on top of each other fell to the floor in front of them. The stench gagged the both of them as they jumped back and looked at each other. "Holy shit. Did they die in there, or did something kill them?"

"Looks like they may have shot each other. I doesn't matter, let's go." Jonathan walked over them through the doorway, picking up a set of keys from one of their belts before moving carefully down the dark hallway. He pulled his flashlight out and clipped it to his hat while Evan pulled out his own, shedding even more light across the bare walls.

They made their way around dark corners, Jonathan telling him to wait as he peered cautiously around every wall until he gave him the all clear. It was so fucking dark and there was a smell that was getting stronger. Neither one of them could place it but if Jonathan could've described it properly it probably would have taken the image of rotting meat soaked in hot bleach. It was disgusting.

They came upon a barred door that led into the next area and Jonathan fumbled around with the keys until he found the right one. Evan was half a step behind him as they moved through the open and empty holding cells. There was a trail of blood coming from one of them that led further down the hallway. Evan saw a flicker of movement where the light ended. He grabbed Anjo's firm arm and stopped him. Evan clicked his flashlight off and then reached up for Angel Boy's when he looked over at him in question.

They stood there in silence in the dark that seemed to ripple with depth as their eyes tried to adjust to nothing. Evan squeezed his arm when he saw a pair of familiar eyes, just like the ones that had him running into that intersection that fateful night. His breath caught in his throat when the eyes snapped up, looking their way head on.

" _Fuck!"_ Evan whispered, digging his fingers into the man's arm right before the thing bolted in their direction. Running at them in the darkness, screeching like a banshee. The sound rang in his ears and all he could think of was how close the other one had been to catching him that night. He remembered the fear and how it had crawled up his spine and made the hair stand on his head. He remembered the way the breath left his lungs and how he almost stopped running. He had almost given up until he heard someone. That was the only reason he was alive. _That voice._

He snapped back to reality when the runner pulled him into a cell at the speed of light. Evan's back was firm against his chest. Anjo's hand was covering his mouth as they listened and watched the doorway until the thing ran past them. Evan jerked, wanting to run while they had the chance but Angel Boy slid his hand across his chest and held him back against him while he talked low in his ear. It did something to Evan.

It completely took away any fear he had and the slight tremble in his hands disappeared as his calm deep voice spoke to him in the dark. "It's going to come back and it's going to smell us this time and when it does, I want you to turn your light on and shine it in it's eyes. It'll be blinded momentarily and I'll kill it. Can you do that or do I need to throw you out there as bait so I can get out alive?"

Anjo removed his hand from Evan's mouth. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good." His voice rumbled and Evan felt it travel down his spine. "I didn't want you to have to die. I was just starting to like you."

"Why? Because it's dark in here and you don't have to look at me?" Evan asked in a whisper and to his amusement he felt the man smile.

"Exactly." Jonathan drew in a breath and reached into his pocket. "Here it comes. Stand beside me, get ready."

They waited until it drew nearer and slowed down, sniffing them out until it showed it's eyes through the bars. It let out a scowling growl like a feral cat as it moved to the doorway, eyeing them. Evan didn't hesitate when Angel Boy yelled, "NOW!"

The light illuminated the monster, but Evan didn't even get to look at it properly before Anjo kicked it in the chest while it was confused and blinded, sending it out into the hallway on it's back. He held it down by the chest with his knee and stuck a blade through it's temple. It went still and silence rang out once more until Anjo's head turned and he stared down into the dark hallway.

"What is it?" Evan asked and shined his light in the same direction, seeing nothing. But he heard an echo. A growl, multiple growls and he thought he was going to freeze up again but he felt a firm hand on him, pulling him along through the door they'd entered. Anjo locked the door behind them and they didn't waste time getting back out into the daylight.

Evan bent over and let his hands rest on his knees as he caught his breath. The other runner took a deep and leaned back against he door he'd just barricaded. "Well, there goes that idea. We'll have to find weapons somewhere else. Closer to the city maybe."

"Yeah, yeah." Evan agreed mindlessly and he caught the bottle of water that was tossed his way a second later.

"Drink. Breathe." Anjo instructed and Evan wasted no time sucking down half the bottle before he threw it back to him with a thank you on his lips. The man nodded and drank the rest of it and tossed the bottle before hoisting himself up the side of a building by a rusty ladder. Evan still felt a little shaky from the encounter but he also could still feel the heat of the man's hand that had been on his mouth and the deep rattle of his voice in his ear. He took Angel Boy's hand when he reached the top and let him pull him up and over the side.

That was the first time he'd offered his hand to him. Evan grinned to himself. It was progress.

They didn't say much and Evan was already letting his mind wander which was never a good thing. It meant he probably wouldn't sleep soundly, or at all. Anjo didn't seem phased by the events that had taken place, he seemed just as detached as ever as they ran across the buildings with ease as the sun set once more on the quiet city.

 _Their city._

Jonathan was curious when Evan bypassed the window to the safe house and kept climbing up to the roof. He followed even though everything in him told him not to. He did it anyway and sat himself next to the unusually quiet Asian with his legs dangling off the side. Evan was staring out at everything below them as the light faded and the familiar screams rang out like nails on a chalkboard.

They didn't make a sound for a long moment until Evan spoke. "I didn't mean to choke back there. I could've got us killed."

Jonathan shrugged, "Yeah, well we're still alive. So don't linger on it. It's done."

"Yeah." Evan nodded but then he grinned. "But, I'm gonna say I'm sorry anyway."

Jonathan dug around in his pocket when things got quiet again and he held out his blade for him until Evan blinked at him and took it. He ran his fingers over it when he opened it and Jonathan watched the realization spread across his face.

Evan stared down at the matte black knife, "This is mine." He looked up at him, "Where did you get this?"

Jonathan pulled his hat off and messed up his hair as he drank in the moonlight, "I got it from you."

Evan blinked again, thinking and then it hit him. "You . . . that was you that night wasn't it? On the other side of that intersection?"

Jonathan gave him a short nod and then pulled himself to his feet before he lowered himself back down into the window and took up residence on one of the small beds in the tiny room. He didn't really know what he was doing when Evan dropped in after him a few minutes later. He didn't know why he laid there and watched him pull the shirt over his head, eyeing his body and the random bruises he'd accumulated over the past few days.

Evan sat on the side of the other bed in thought for a moment, the light of the moon barely exposing his figure in the dark. Jonathan was listening when he finally looked up and said, "Angel Boy?"

"Hm."

"Thank you."

Jonathan clenched his jaw and tried not to say something rude, but he fucking hated being thanked. He swallowed it down and said quietly, "No problem."

He could feel the slight disappointment coming off of the Asian as he continued to sit there. It was clear he was trying to keep his mouth shut, or maybe he was just lost in thought, Jonathan didn't know. He could just tell he was brooding over something. It was weird and he was waiting for the midnight rambling to start but it never did. He was waiting for the questions that never came, but he wasn't about to force them out of him if they weren't there. So he let himself fall asleep but it didn't last and he opened his eyes to find Evan sitting in the window, turning his blade over in his hand mindlessly.

Jonathan felt an urge to ask if he was okay and that was an urge he hadn't felt since this all started. It kind of scared him because that meant something that he'd been trying his best to avoid. It meant that he cared, even if it was just a spec of a feeling. He felt it and sighed, rubbing his face before he said. "Evan."

The man turned his head to look at him and all Jonathan could make out was his wide dark silhouette as he stilled the knife in his hand. "Angel Boy."

"My favorite color is blue." He curled his fingers into a fist, "And I'm . . . Jonathan."

He could tell Evan was grinning, maybe even smiling, it was too dark to tell. But he sat in the window for a while longer before he finally got in the empty bed and fell asleep without a fuss. Jonathan wanted to say he regretted it but he felt like he owed him that much. He was good at what he did even if he annoyed him while he did it. He was his partner in all this whether he liked it or, so giving him his name was something meaningless, but it was something to hold him off until he wanted something else. Jonathan almost groaned miserably when he thought about it.

He knew he'd fucked up when he felt himself being shook awake, cracking his eyes open to see a fit, half naked body standing beside him. Looked up to see brown eyes, a pretty smile, messy hair and friendly voice saying, "Wake up . . . _Jonathan_."


	4. Chapter 4

"Jonathan!"

"What?" The runner sighed. If he'd heard his name one time, he'd heard it a thousand times. Evan took hold of it, used it and abused it to the point where Jonathan was beginning to hate it.

He hopped down onto the roof below where Evan was leaning over the edge, peering down at nothing. The Asian looked over at him then looked back down. "I saw something."

"What kind of something?"

Evan shook his head. "I don't know. It was fast though. It knocked over that wooden stall on the edge of the market. I lost sight of it after that."

Jonathan crossed his arms, "Was it white?"

Evan pulled his brows together. "I don't know . . . maybe."

"It was just an animal. I've never seen it either, but every time I come down this way I catch a glimpse of it. Whatever it is, it's white and it's skiddish. So, I just ignore it." Jonathan made his way back up to the higher rooftops. "Forget about it, come on."

Evan didn't move for a moment, his gaze still focused on the streets below him. Jonathan thought the look on his face when he finally followed him up was one of disappointment with a hint of sadness. He didn't understand it at all but he wouldn't ask. That was a personal question and Jonathan avoided anything personal like the plague, or screamers in their case. Personal meant he would learn something about him and the more he learned the more he would end up caring.

Jonathan couldn't afford to care.

Evan fell uncharacteristically silent after the encounter with the mysterious white creature in the Southside markets. He was distracted and almost tripped on his feet three times. He didn't even have a smart ass remark when Jonathan looked over at him each time with a raised brow. In fact, Evan didn't even look at him at all. It was odd and Jonathan couldn't get over the fact that deep down he really wanted to know why.

Was Evan sentimental when it came to animals? Did he feel bad for it? Did he want to save it?

 _Who cares?_

Jonathan shoved the thought aside and kept running. He loved animals himself, but he had never come across any just like he'd never come across a living human. Animals were just as scarce. They probably tucked tail and ran as soon as shit went down. They were smart. If he ever came across any, he didn't know whether or not he'd take them to the tower or not, but the more he thought about it, they were living things too just trying to survive. He'd be an asshole if he didn't help.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind he heard a high pitched meow coming from the rooftop they'd just landed on. He paused and Evan skid to a halt, his hands grabbing his shoulders before he ran into him with his entire body.

"What is it?" Evan spoke his first words in hours and he still seemed a little despondent.

"A kitten." Jonathan said and held up a finger. "Listen."

The small shrill sound rang out again and Evan turned his head, spotting a tiny tail peeking out of a gutter on the edge of the building. He bolted over and crouched, wrapping the small grey kitten in his hands. "It's only about a month old."

"Do you see anymore?"

Evan shook his head as he pet the tiny cat, rubbing behind its ears. "You're a little cutie. You don't have any family? Yeah, me neither."

Jonathan listened to Evan talk to the thing, blinking at the new information. Evan didn't have a family. But as soon as he stored the information Evan held the cat in the air and said, "Well, I _do_ have family, but they're fucking crazy."

Jonathan rubbed his eyes. He didn't care. _He didn't care_. He kept telling himself that, but he still found himself wanting to know what Evan's tattoos meant. The ones he'd first seen that dark night in the corner store.

Evan caught his eye, "Let's take it back to the tower. It'll make some kid happy."

"That's probably not a good idea." Jonathan countered. He was trying to be logical about it.

"Why not? It's just a kitten." Evan smirked and walked closer, placing the tiny thing on top of Jonathan's crossed arms. "Look how cute he is. Just like you."

Jonathan felt his jaw clench and he knew that Evan saw it because the Asian broke into a smile. "And don't say it's because it's another mouth to feed."

"It's another mouth to feed." Jonathan said sarcastically as he took the cat in his hand, just one hand because it was that small. Or maybe he just had really big hands.

Evan huffed. "A very small mouth. Dude, you really need to start talking to people in there. They worship you, they want to hear you speak, want you to acknowledge them. So why not start off small and give the kids a cat. Let them know they don't have to cower when you pass by."

Jonathan rolled his eyes out of habit. "No one needs to get to know me. They don't have to set me up on a pedestal either."

Evan took the cat from him and started walking in the tower's direction. "Well, you're keeping them alive. If you didn't want praise you should've left them all for dead. You can't help these people and pretend they aren't there at the same time. You can't care and _not_ care all at once. You either do or you don't."

Jonathan was hot beneath his mask but he followed Evan back anyway. The man was frustrating beyond belief but he had sense. He couldn't argue with that. They walked into the tower, sweat was running down both of their backs and soaking into their shirts. Jonathan noticed the way it stuck on Evan's muscles. He noticed everything and he wished he didn't but he'd always been so perceptive. Everything caught his eye.

Langley dropped from a metal bar in a doorway where she was doing pull ups. Her feet hit the floor with a silent tap and she smiled at them. "Aw. Did Cat find a little cat?"

Evan beamed and held it out for her. "I did. Well, _we_ did."

"So cute." She hummed and gave it a rub. "What are you gonna with it?"

"He's gonna give it to the kids up there with Nana Maria." Evan turned to Jonathan and put the cat in his hands. "Aren't you, _Anjo_?"

Jonathan felt all the eyes in the room settle on him and he sighed calmly as he stared holes into Evan. "Yeah, I am."

Jonathan brushed past him and he felt all that tension falling on his shoulders again. Evan was swaying his decisions and making him think about things he didn't want or need to. He was trying to get close and Jonathan didn't know if he could stop him. He would take his advice though and try to be kind to the civilians, because Evan was right, they didn't need to afraid of him. If they needed something, anything, he wanted them to have the courage to ask and they couldn't do that if he was intimidating everyone.

Jonathan just didn't like to be thanked.

Evan eyed him as he followed him through the hallway when they stepped out of the elevator. The people fell quiet as was expected at this point, moving like respectful followers at a church, nodding their heads in appreciation. Jonathan tried to catch their eyes and acknowledge them by nodding back. It surprised them to say the least. Evan smiled behind his back and it grew wider when he heard Jonathan actually say hello to someone for the first time.

They made their way into the mess hall and scavenged the cans of food for something the kitten could eat on. Jonathan settled on shredded canned chicken, but just the juice until the cat got bigger. They sat the cat on a table and Evan noticed how curious everyone was becoming when they realized what was going on. Their big tough savior was feeding a kitten and petting it gently. It was a side of him they'd never seen before. Neither had Evan.

He watched the knuckles of his hands as he rubbed at the soft fuzz. His eyes fell on his wrist and that bone that stuck out attractively. The veins that ran up his arms were the next thing that caught Evan's attention and he followed them up to his shoulders that were always so stiff and tense. He often wondered about his tattoos and if he had more beneath the clothes he wore. Jonathan was overall the most interesting and stubborn person Evan had ever met and he'd met a lot of people in too many foreign countries to count. But this guy . . . he held his attention and he held it tightly.

Jonathan glanced up at him, momentarily surprised at how hard Evan was staring at him. But his surprise faded and he went back to looking uninterested in everything as usual. He picked up the cat and moved past the crowd and down the hallway towards the nursery room.

Evan was right behind him, always, taking the handshakes that were offered, the ones that Jonathan would never accept. He returned the smiles, sometimes the hugs from grateful women. He always did it with his eyes on Jonathan's back, watching, waiting, and wondering if he'd ever break down and swallow his pride and accept himself for what he was.

A hero.

The kids fell quiet when he entered the room and they spotted the cat in his hands. Evan could tell they were excited but hesitant to approach him so he stepped up beside him and much to his surprise and more than a little to his amusement, Jonathan looked nervous. The runner looked over at him and said under his breath, "I don't know how to do this."

"It's simple." Evan reassured him quietly. "Get on your knees, drop to their level. Let them know they don't need to be scared."

Evan fell to his knees and Jonathan slowly followed, trying to make eye contact with the children, but it only made them more reluctant. He took a deep breath, "It's okay, the cat won't hurt you."

Evan nudged his arm and he bit his tongue. "And I won't hurt you either."

The Asian held his hand out for a small boy and he approached, a small grin spreading across his face. "It's a kitty."

"That's right. This kitty needs to be loved and taken care of. Can you do that?" Evan grinned as the boy smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

Jonathan cleared his throat and held his fingers out for a girl that wanted to move closer but she wouldn't. Until she saw his hand and she took it. He placed the cat in her tiny arms when he pulled her over and she beamed up at him. "Thank you, mister. You're very brave."

"Why is that?" Jonathan wondered as he watched her pet the fur ball.

"Because you stay out there with the monsters. I think they took my cat. He had an orange spot on his big furry head. I think they took my mom and dad, too."

The grin faded beneath his mask and he could feel Maria's eyes on him across the room. "I'm sorry. They took a lot of people."

"I know." Her voice was so tiny. She couldn't have been more than four. "But it'll be okay."

"How do you know?"

She smiled, "Because you're here. And Cat man."

Evan chuckled. "So I'm Cat man now? I really need to find my old t-shirt."

Jonathan stood without another word and left the room. Evan watched him leave and figured it was best to let him go and be alone for a while. That was a huge accomplishment for him, socializing with them and showing some sort of acknowledgement to the people of the tower. But Evan knew it was also too much. He didn't know much about Jonathan but he could read him well and he liked distance. Distance from everyone as much as possible.

"It's kind, what you are doing." Maria spoke over the kids who laughed and giggled as the cat tickled their fingers with his fur.

Evan looked up at her sitting in her usual place by the window. "What do you mean?"

"I see what you are trying to do with him. You're trying to get him to open up and I think that's exactly what he needs even if it's the last thing he wants." She sighed. "He's not the same man that took shelter in my shop that day the bombs fell. He's been shaped into something else entirely and he knows it. But he thinks that it's better that way. Then you came along and I can see he's struggling." She grinned at the confusion on Evan's face. "I only knew him briefly, but I remember hearing him laugh and seeing him smile. He was a normal man, but this has all taken something away from him and he feels it's best to be alone. That way he has nothing to lose. I was very surprised to see him letting you run along behind him. I think it surprised everyone."

"It surprised me." Evan added. "He's a very complicated person. He's a leader and he doesn't want to accept that. He wants to help everyone but he doesn't want to be thanked for it. He doesn't want the fame that comes with the service. That's what I want him to acknowledge. That he means something to someone, to all of these civilians, these kids."

Maria nodded. "And that's exactly what he wants to avoid. Affection, friends . . . you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." The woman rested her chin in her hand thoughtfully. "He knows you are valuable, that's why he puts up with you. I take it he doesn't speak to you much?"

Evan smirked, "Only if it's necessary."

"He does that because he doesn't want to know you. I'm sure what he does say to you, is said with purpose and much deliberation."

Evan chewed at his lip and slipped his hands in his pockets as he stood there. "He . . . it took him forever, but he told me his name."

Evan felt himself smiling at his feet. "And his favorite color."

He turned his focus back to Maria and he found her watching him with a knowing grin. "He trusts you. He won't tell you that. You should tell him about yourself, open up to him. Even if he doesn't want to get to know you, he'll have no choice but to listen. He needs a friend, Evan, and I think you're the best one for him. You're everything he's been trying to run from."

* * *

 _"It'll be okay. Because you're here."_

Jonathan tore through some old creaky cabinets in another abandoned house. There were always photos stuck to the refrigerators and he always ignored them. He did his best to not look at all the smiles, the arms thrown over shoulders, the lost memories. None of them were his and he didn't like to think about his own family back home staring at the photos on their appliances of him with his arms around his little sisters, smiling and happy. He didn't like to think about his older brother having to console his broken mother who would be grieving again over a son this time instead of her husband. He didn't like to think about what his family was going through.

Or Tyler's family.

He slammed the cabinet and it came off the hinges. The sound echoed around him and he stood there in silence until he caught his breath and composure, hearing familiar footsteps coming up behind him. He stood up straight and went through the other cabinets, avoiding Evan as best as he could. But the longer they worked around each other, the more houses they went through, the more empty nurseries they kept quiet about, the closer Evan tried to get. Not physically, but he was doing his best to get in his good graces for whatever reason.

Evan kept his mouth shut for the rest of the day which was both a relief and a curse. A relief because Jonathan wanted to punch him when he talked non-stop trying to get his attention. A curse because the longer he was silent the more Jonathan wondered why. It was all he thought about until Evan finally spoke when the sun went down and they were crawling through a window and sharing a bottle of warm water before they took a seat on separate beds.

"I have a family." Evan threw his shirt on the floor and laid back in the dark. "But is it wrong to literally not give a shit about what they're going through back home without me? Because I've been thinking and me being here is no different from me running across the world as far away from them as possible. I'm pretty sure they haven't known where I've been for the last three years so I guess it doesn't even matter."

Jonathan thought it over. "Why don't they know?"

Evan laced his fingers behind his head. "I ran from them the moment my dad died. He left me his fortune and didn't give a penny to anyone else. My own mother loathed me for it and I had complete strangers trying to claw their way into my life just to get a taste of fresh one hundred dollar bill. So, I bought a random plane ticket and ran. Didn't tell anyone where I was going, I just went. I've had better memories in the last few years of my life than I did growing up beneath a California millionaire. I never had real friends. I started to backpack across countries and I've met amazing people, seen the most beautiful things, gotten myself into the most ridiculous situations. And I did it all alone. For a while. I know they're my family, but I stopped caring a long time ago. They never loved me, they loved my money."

Jonathan closed his eyes. "Life is short. Live it however you want."

"That's what I've been trying to do, but I got stuck here in a zombie infested city with you instead. So, right now I'm just going with the flow." Evan grinned to himself.

"You and me both." Jonathan replied quietly and they didn't exchange anymore words.

* * *

 _"No, dude. You're gonna got talk to him right now." Tyler shoved him in the direction of the barista who was eyeing him from across the room. "Get his fucking number and then I'll leave you alone about it."_

 _Jonathan groaned and rubbed nervously at his neck as he approached the guy who always wrote his name a different way on his cup each time he ordered. "Hi."_

 _"Hey."_

 _"So, my douche bag friend insists that I get your number." He leaned against the bar and tapped his fingers as the guy started to smile. "You don't even have to call me, I just . . . I don't normally do this."_

 _"Well, you should do it more often." The barista pursed his lips in thought. "You're cute when you blush. I'm Hayden, by the way."_

 _Jonathan ducked his head and laughed. "I'm Jonathan, but you already know that. You have amazing artistic skills dude. I am thoroughly impressed that you can draw my name a different way each time. I mean, I've been in here like fifty thousand times and every time, it's different."_

 _"I like to draw, sometimes paint."_

 _Jonathan licked his lips. "Me, too. I'd like to see your work."_

 _"Likewise." Hayden smirked and took Jonathan's cup from him and wrote his number on it, handing it back._

 _Needless to say, Jonathan was beaming when he got in the car with Tyler a few minutes later. Tyler was grinning like an asshole. Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Don't even say it."_

 _Tyler back out of the parking spot and blurted, "I told you so!"_

 _"I said don't say it!" Jonathan swatted at him. "I would've talked to him eventually."_

 _"You're a goddamn liar." Tyler laughed. "I know you and you would not have said a word. You always wait."_

 _"What's wrong with that?"_

 _Tyler shrugged, "Nothing. But I think that guy will be ten times better than that bitch you used to date."_

 _"Yeah, I think we both agree on that one. She was a fucking nut job." Jonathan laughed it off but he knew that anyone he ended up dating always seemed so amazing until he found out more about them. His ex was actually a self proclaimed palm reader and Hayden was bound to have a certain quality about him that Jonathan wouldn't like and end up driving them apart._

 _That was exactly the case and after a few months of amazing food, art, and sex they were saying polite goodbyes. He stopped going to that coffee shop and went back to fiddling with computers, hiking through the woods to clear his mind, painting on his walls in a once again empty house. But he didn't mind it. Being alone was something he excelled at._

 _Tyler was still there for him, still the obnoxious friend that came over with pizza, alcohol and video games to remind them both that they still had each other. Their friendship would never change and they'd keep holding each other together, keep sleeping all over each other on the small couch, keep pushing each other forward with life when they'd rather sleep it away._

 _"Jonathan?"_

 _"Hm."_

 _"I love you, man. I'm sorry shit didn't work out."_

 _"It's fine and I love you, too."_

 _"Good, you better."_

 _"I do."_

 _Tyler smiled and stretched his long leg out and touched his foot to the side of Jonathan's face. "I know you do."_

 _"What the fuck! Get it off!" Jonathan flailed. "You bitch!"_

 _All he could hear was that laugh of Tyler's that turned into a wheeze the harder it became._

* * *

Jonathan woke with a start in the middle of the night with a thin layer of sweat dusting his skin. He took a deep breath and he smelled the rain water in the air as his pounding heart settled back into a relaxed rhythm. That smell of pavement and dirt mixed with salt from the nearby ocean filled his nose and he opened his eyes when he heard a deep roll of thunder above. Lightening flashed and he slowly sat up in the small bed. He could make out Evan's sleeping form on the other bed with each brief flash of light. He never moved even as the storm raged on outside.

Jonathan stood and stretched, making his way over to the open window where he stared out at the empty city as it was drenched relentlessly, endlessly. The wind was chilled and he pulled his mask down around his face to let it blow over him in waves. He closed his eyes and breathed it in and for a moment he felt like he was home, standing on his bedroom balcony as one of many thunderstorms blew through his small town. It was those kind of nights that made him want someone to share it with. It was that feeling that ran through him, that peace and contentment that made him want someone that felt it too. But as soon as the storms were over, so was the feeling.

Thunder rolled again. He opened his eyes and rubbed at the slight scruff that was accumulating on his face. They needed to head back to the tower soon. They both needed a shave and haircut. It was definitely past due time for a hot shower. He leaned against the windowsill and watched the storm for so long he started to see the sky lighten in the distance as the downpour faded into a steady drizzle.

There was something so peaceful about a dead, broken city. The emptiness was sad. The streets filled with echoes of lost memories, lives forgotten with the fear that had flooded them in mere minutes. It was almost like a dream he was living in, like he was trapped in one of those old Chernobyl photos of a world that was knocked off it's feet and forgotten. Yet it spoke to his soul and he felt more in touch with himself here than he ever did at home. He stood there for so long thinking about it, his toes felt like they were asleep.

He thought about his family again. What Evan had said about his own had him wondering more and more. It had a thousand questions lining up on his tongue, but he couldn't ask. He wouldn't allow himself to. He scrunched his brows together as he waged his daily war with himself, but it had only started when Evan ran his way right into his life.

"You have a nice face." Evan's voice quietly interrupted his brooding and he turned to look down at him laying there in the morning light. "You should show it more often."

Jonathan didn't say anything, just turned his head and wondered why Evan was the first to know his name, the first to see his face, the first person he let tag along. The first one he trusted enough to sleep in the same room with.

* * *

Evan knew he'd gotten under his skin, even if just by a sliver of a centimeter. He'd done it because Jonathan was working extra hard at tuning him out. So Evan took it upon himself to piss him off to the best of his ability. He talked his fucking head off.

"I have a younger brother and an older sister and a gold digging mother." Evan struck up conversation for the tenth time in an hour as they rummaged close by the Southside market again. He couldn't help but keep a watchful eye out for that mysterious white creature that he wanted nothing more than to catch a glimpse of again. "What about you? You look like the kind of guy who has little sisters that pester the shit out of you. I can tell because you have a remarkably high tolerance for _me_."

Nothing, no response. Evan smirked and crept up behind him as he picked through a kitchen, ignoring him to an impressive degree. He got close to his ear and whispered, "I know I'm right."

Jonathan flinched and spun on him. He huffed dramatically and pulled his mask down so he could breathe in the stuffy room. "What, damn it!? Right about what?"

Evan grinned at him, feeling no shame in taking a moment to stare. He was pretty fucking attractive. "That you have little sisters."

"I do and you're acting like one of them. I also have an older brother, a broken mother, and a dead dad." Jonathan threw his words out and went back to searching. "Now, fuck off."

"Sorry, Charlie." Evan bit as his lip and backed away, feeling victorious as he picked through another room.

 _His name was Jonathan._

 _His favorite color was blue._

 _He was sexy._

 _And he had a family back home._

Evan hummed to himself. The list of things he knew about him was slowly growing.

* * *

Jonathan granted Evan one wish and that wish was to go back to the room that he had been staying in before the bombs fell because why the hell not? It was a quick trip and Jonathan hadn't explored it before. He followed him down through the intersection, the same one that they met on that night and they kept running through it. Evan recalled every desperate breath he'd taken that night, each fell of his feet as he ran, stirring up dust as that scream pierced his eardrums. He remembered the moment he lost sight of _her_. It was fast and the crowd had been thick and he couldn't even hear himself yelling her name.

The building caught his eye and he peered through the front doors with his black knife in one hand, flashlight in the other. He crept inside with Jonathan right behind him as they stepped up the staircase until they reached the top floor. Evan half hoped that Lucah would be in the room waiting when he opened the door, but she wasn't like he knew she wouldn't be. It hurt nonetheless. Nothing had changed, his clothes were still hanging in the closet, some still in the suitcase on the bed. His camera bag was resting untouched on the desk by the open windows and he pulled the bag over his head and then flipped open the luggage on the mattress.

"What are you looking for?" Jonathan asked mindlessly as he searched the medicine cabinet in the bathroom out of habit.

"I had a satellite phone." Evan said and he heard the surprise in the way Jonathan walked back in the room. "Don't get excited. It doesn't work. Despite how durable those things are made, they can't survive going over a waterfall and hitting rocks apparently. It's a long story."

"Well, maybe the techies at the tower can look at it and get it working." Jonathan remarked and helped him in his search. "That could be our way of getting in touch with someone on the outside."

Evan glanced over at him as he pulled his mask down again and dug through the drawer in the nightstand. He was scruffy and dirty and he was hot. Evan could watch him all day now that he could see that clean jawline and those lips that got more and more red the longer Jonathan worried at them with his teeth.

"I can feel you looking at me." He grumbled.

Evan chuckled as he watched Jonathan get to his knees and look beneath the bed. "Sorry, I'll just look at your ass then. It's just as nice as your face."

He crawled halfway beneath the bed and came back out with a big phone in his hand that he tossed into Evan's pack when he spun him around. "There, found it. Let's go, it's getting dark already."

"Aye, aye Captain." Evan gave the room one last look, swallowing down the feeling that settled over him when he saw the way the sheets were still how they were when he had woke that day. He could still see so clearly exactly where he'd slept and where Lucah had. He shut the door and he didn't know why. Maybe to preserve what memories were left of that life. He shook the feeling away, instead focusing on the way Jonathan looked as he glanced back up at him as they descended the stairs. He focused on the way the muscles pulled beneath his shirt as they jogged down the road, concentrated on the way his eyes were always looking around them, always paying attention to every detail, every sign of danger.

The sun was setting and the streets were getting darker, almost to the point where they had to squint to see ahead of them. Jonathan grabbed Evan's arms out of instinct to stop him in his tracks when they both heard a scream. They immediately looked at one another as they stood in the empty road.

"It's not dark yet." Evan commented when he heard it again. They spun around trying to pinpoint where it was coming from.

Jonathan heard it echo again down an alleyway. "That's not a screamer." He started running for it. "That's human."

"What? Wait!" Evan called after him and sprinted in his footsteps as the light faded around them faster and faster. Soon there would be more screams and they definitely wouldn't be human. They both ran a little faster.

The sound led them into an abandoned bakery where it got eerily quiet when they entered. Jonathan wiped the sweat off his face. "Hello?"

"Who's there?!" A woman called out defensively.

Evan hopped over the counter and into the back room where he flashed his light across a gruesome scene. "Holy shit."

There was a puddle of blood around the woman. She had long dark hair that was stuck in a sweaty mess around her neck as she heaved in breaths. Another scream left her mouth and Jonathan was beside Evan in seconds, shining his light on her. He cursed when she held her arm over her eyes as the light blinded her. Jonathan saw the tattoo on her wrist and felt the world settling on his shoulders. "Livia?"

"Yes." She groaned and held her swollen stomach. "How do you know me?"

"Your mother." Jonathan fell to her side. "We all live in the hospital, about a hundred and fifty of us. Your mother is there. Evan!"

Evan fell down beside him. "Yeah, I'm here, sorry! What do I need to do?"

"Hold her hand. Help her." Jonathan instructed. "This baby needs to come out. Right now. The sun's almost gone and we don't have time. I'll go barricade the door and you start pushing, got it?"

She nodded and held back her scream as best as she could, squeezing Evan's hand until his fingers turned white. He brushed the wet hair from her face, "Deep breath."

He settled between her legs and set his flashlight on the floor. The smell of the blood was overwhelming. There was so much of it and it was only then that he realized how pale she was. "Good. Do it again. Breathe and push."

She didn't hold back the scream that time and Evan saw a head of hair showing just slightly. He felt his heart jolt, "Okay! Almost! I see it, keep going, you can do this."

Livia gasped in a lung full of air and pushed one last time before Evan saw the shoulders come free and he pulled the baby the rest of the way out. It cried and Livia collapsed on the tile floor out of relief and exhaustion. Evan was covered in blood and he didn't know where to go from there because he heard the screams starting to fill the streets. "Jonathan!"

His footsteps slid to a stop beside him and he took out a blade and cut the umbilical cord and pulled his shirt off, ripping it in places and wrapping the baby up. Evan was in a daze as Jonathan pulled him to his feet and placed the bundled baby against his chest and tied the shirt in a knot across his back. Evan looked down at the crying lump on his chest and realized that they were about to run. "No."

Jonathan grabbed his jaw with bloody hands and made him look at him, " _Yes_. That door isn't going to hold. You're gonna get that baby back to the tower."

Evan shook his head, "There's no fucking way we'll make it."

"Go!" Livia yelled as loud as she could, which wasn't very. She was weak and pale and Jonathan was by her side.

"Can you walk?"

She gave a small laugh and shook her head, "No, you need to leave me."

Evan was about to puke. "What? No! We can just hole up here and hold them off until morning!"

"She's lost too much blood! She won't make it until morning!" Jonathan yelled back. The baby cried even louder and Evan was about to panic.

Livia pulled Jonathan close, "Listen to me! Save my child, get to my mother. Save yourselves. Please, go!"

The runner nodded and Evan was trembling he was so fucking mad. His knees almost buckled when she looked up at Jonathan and said, "There's a way out in the back. I won't become one of those things . . . _kill me_."

It happened fast, Jonathan touched his forehead to hers, she whispered something to him after he turned off his flashlight, then Evan heard the snap of her neck and the thump of her head hitting the hard floor beneath her. Everything after that moment was a blur, like he was running in a dream, Jonathan was pulling him down the pitch black streets as glowing green eyes began cutting them off, forcing them to find detours. They cut through buildings, but they never stopped running. The baby was crying, he was crying, Jonathan was yelling at the top of his lungs as the tower grew closer.

"OPEN THE GATE!" He looked back and grabbed Evan's outstretched arm and pulled him ahead.

The gates opened and they ran inside while the defenders closed it behind them within seconds. The screams cried out behind them and as soon as they crashed through the front doors to the hospital, Evan fell to his back trying to breathe. Jonathan fell to his knees beside him, then to his back as they both gasped desperately for air. There wasn't a sound other than the babies muffled crying and the air leaving and filling their lungs faster than they could use it. Jonathan rolled to his side and with one hand tried to unravel his torn shirt from around Evan and the baby.

That's when Evan glanced around and saw everyone starting to filter out of the rooms and into the open. He reached his hand up out of pure respect for the guy and pulled the mask back up over Jonathan's nose before anyone had a chance to see. His crystal eyes locked with his and he didn't need to thank him because the short lived look he gave him was enough. Evan gave him a small nod and fell back to the floor. Jonathan felt every muscle in his body turning to jelly. His fingers could barely work at the fabric that had the baby encased. Evan's fingers joined the struggle until they heard a familiar voice.

"Why are you all just standing here?! Scotty get them some water! Lui double up the guard on the gate, there's a fuck ton of those things out there! Murphy get that baby up to David and Brock now!" Langley shouted out the orders while everyone else had just been standing there in shock at the sudden commotion and the unfamiliar cries of a newborn.

Everyone gave her a nod and moved quickly. The baby's cries were suddenly distant after Murphy unraveled it from Evan's heaving chest and made a beeline for the elevator. Scotty slid between the two men on the floor and Marcel helped him sit the both of the up so they could drink the water he gave them. It took them a few minutes more of deep calming breaths before either one of them could think straight. They were given their space and helped to their feet. Langley took a step back and looked them over.

"What the _actual fuck_ happened to you two?"

Evan almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it but he couldn't find the strength to. All he had left was enough to pull his camera bag over his head and lean against someone. That someone happened to be Jonathan who had the same idea because he was leaning into him just as hard.

Evan sighed and slipped an arm around Jonathan's waist. "Long story short, we found Maria's pregnant daughter, delivered the child at sunset, then ran for our fucking lives."

Marcel looked back out of the door. "Where's her daughter?"

"Dead." Jonathan deadpanned and swayed a little but Evan held him up with his weight. "I need to tell Maria."

Langley shook her head, "No, you can tell her tomorrow after you two have had a shower and some sleep. You look like you slaughtered a fucking cow."

"I would rather that have been the case, to be honest." Evan said without a hint of a joke in his voice and he felt Jonathan eyeing him from the side.

"Go." She shooed them off towards the elevator that was coming down again. Murphy stepped off a few moments later.

"Okay, the baby is going to be fine." She said and helped them into the lift. "You guys okay or do you need help getting in the shower?"

Scotty appeared from behind and pulled her away, "I'm sure they can manage on their own, you pervert. Back off."

"Hey, I was just offering, asswipe. I'm sure you help Marcel shower all the time." Murphy squinted as she walked away.

Scotty perked up and winked, "I do, actually."

She rolled her eyes and Evan watched the door close in the front of them before it carried them up a few floors. Jonathan was silent beside him until they tried to move down the hallway to the showers. His knees kept buckling beneath him every now and then and he groaned when they did. Evan was in no better condition and sank down onto a bench when they finally made it into the warm room.

The apology slipped from his lips as soon as Jonathan sat down beside him. "I'm sorry . . . for what I did. I choked again, but was there really no way we could've saved her?"

Jonathan's head rest against the wall behind him and he closed his eyes, "Can't save everyone."

Evan blinked and he pondered. It was true they couldn't save everyone and definitely not a woman who was bleeding to death in the middle of the night in an unfortified building surrounded by monsters who were coming after her and her screaming child. There was no getting around it and he understood why Jonathan did it, why he ended her suffering instead of dragging it out. He understood why he didn't pull her along, she would've slowed them down too much and they wouldn't have made it anywhere near the tower before they were overrun. He shuddered at the thought of those jagged fingers reaching out to claw at his back, those teeth, that scream.

His eyes snapped open when he stumbled upon another thought, "Then why did you save _me_?"

It was a question that Jonathan himself had often wondered about. _Why did he save Evan_? Why did he think it best to drag him into a building that night and hunker down instead of leaving him for dead and running for help? But even back then he knew there wasn't going to be any help and he thought if he could save him it would maybe make up for the man he had to leave behind to die just minutes before. Maybe he just couldn't stand the thought of having the option and not choosing it. He really couldn't say, other than it would've went against everything inside of him to leave the man lying there after he'd given him his own knife and knocked a little sense into him amid all the madness.

Jonathan opened his eyes and let his head roll to the side. "I have no idea."

Evan was staring at him and Jonathan could see the beginnings of a smug grin pulling at his lips. So, he turned away. "But if I ever figure it out, I'll let you know."

He heard a soft chuckle before Evan got to his feet and held out his hand for him. "I think you actually like me and you just don't want to admit it."

Jonathan gave him a blank stare and took his hand, wobbling and grabbing at the chest high tile walls to steady himself before he ducked into one and cut the water on, letting it get hot. He knew Evan was going to get into the stall right next to him, he didn't even question it, he just knew as soon as the man got back with their soap and towels he was going to stay as close as he could.

And he did. Evan came back from the lockers and placed them both some soap and shampoo on the tile wall between them. Jonathan gave him a nod instead of a thank you and they stripped, tossing their bloody clothes into a pile. Jonathan untied the handkerchief and added it to the pile and he still wasn't used to it. He felt naked. He was already naked standing there as the hot water scorched his skin, but his mask off always made him feel vulnerable. Especially when Evan was looking at him like he was a phenomenon that only came around once a year.

Halfway into rubbing himself down, he could hardly stand on his feet anymore so he leaned against the wall and took a few breaths. When he opened his eyes again Evan had his arms draped over the wall that separated them and he was grinning again. "Need a hand over there?"

Jonathan sighed and washed at his face a little harder. Evan grinned even wider until Jonathan wiped the water from his face after he rinsed and looked over at him seriously. "You know, I get the feeling that you bug the hell out of me so much because you don't want to be alone."

The shock was clear on Evan's face and he felt the heat running up his neck and into his cheeks, but he threw his defenses up just as fast. "Well, _Jonathan_. I get the feeling that deep down you're not the kind of guy that walks around with a stick up his ass. You see, I'm pretty good at reading people and the way I see it is that you and me, our personalities should actually be reversed. Me, be the uptight loner and you be the one with the lighthearted attitude. But something happened to the both of us and we're both dealing with it the best we can. You, shutting everything and everyone out. And me, making jokes and trying to lighten the mood to take my mind off of the fact that we're living in a fucking zombieland with nowhere to go and no one to help us. So excuse me for trying to make you smile every once in a while."

They fell silent and simply looked at one another and Jonathan felt something pass between them, some sort of understanding and he knew then that Evan had been stripped of something too. Something that had flipped a switch in him just like the what had happened to himself. He squared his shoulders and blinked at the Asian, "So . . . who did you lose?"

Evan licked his lips, turned into the hot water, and glanced at his feet. "I lost my best friend."

Jonathan watched him and he kind of felt like an asshole for thinking that Evan was simply obnoxious and nothing else. But he was much much more than that, he was complicated and there a reason for the way he was.

"I lost my best friend, too." Jonathan said quietly and looked down at all the blood spiralling down the drain at his feet. "I suppose that's something else we have in common."

Evan hummed and gave him a rather sad grin that faded as he cut his water off. He hesitated before he grabbed his towel. "Can we maybe do another quick run through the Southside markets?"

Jonathan raised his brow, "Why? We just did."

Evan let the disappointment roll through him, "Yeah, I know. I just . . . ."

It clicked in Jonathan's head as soon as saw Evan swallow and turn away, wrapping his towel around his waist. "Evan."

"Hm?"

"When you say you lost your friend . . ."

Evan didn't look back, "I meant that I lost her that night and I don't know if she's dead or alive."

Jonathan rinsed, shut his water off, and dried himself before wrapping the towel around his waist. "So why do you want to look at the Soutside markets? Is that where you lost her?"

"No. But I think I saw her there. I think you've seen her, too."

Jonathan stepped toward him and caught his arm when he tried to move away again. He took a second to eye all of his tattoos again, the ones he hadn't really seen since that dark night in the convenience store. They were impressive, some were words written in a language he didn't speak. The heat that spread through him slapped him in the face and brought him back to the present.

"Your friend isn't a person, is she?"

Evan shook his head. "She's an albino German Shepard with eyes that are bluer than yours and if she's alive then she's alone. I'll go look for her myself."

He made to leave again and Jonathan wrapped his fingers around his forearm again. "No. We'll go look together tomorrow after we rest. Okay?"

Jonathan didn't know what he was doing. He was doing Evan a favor, reaching out to help him and it felt so odd. He didn't even do that for the civilians, or the others that he'd known since day one. But he knew no matter how much Evan got on his nerves or how polar opposite he seemed sometimes, they were a lot a like and they were a team.

He clenched his jaw when Evan's eye ran over his face again like they had been all day, that look of pure and honest interest. It was like he was trying to get beneath his skin and Jonathan could feel it working. Evan gave him a nod. "Okay. Thank you."

Jonathan let him go and rubbed at his neck involuntarily. "Let's go get some clean clothes."

"That's the best idea you've had all day." Evan said, his attitude slowly getting back to what Jonathan was accustomed to. He didn't know if he could handle Evan so serious all the time. It only made him more interesting. It only made he want to know about him even more than he already did.

His knees shook the entire walk to the elevator. Evan giggled at him but was biting his own tongue when he almost fell when the elevator jolted upward to the laundry level. Jonathan was so close to laughing and it scared him because when he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had.

"What was their name?" Evan asked.

"Who?"

"Your best friend."

Jonathan's mouth felt dry but he forced out a name he hadn't said since the day he died. "His name was Tyler . . . and his eyes were bluer than mine."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Jonathan rubbed at his eyes. "What's your dog's name?"

Evan grinned as the elevator came to a halt. "Lucah."

A whistle rang out as soon as the doors opened. Murphy looked them both up and down with a small bundle of clothes in her hands. "Good God, I've died and gone to heaven."

"I thought heaven would be nicer than two beat up men in a hospital elevator." Evan quirked and she smiled wickedly.

"Dude, I'll take anything at this point." She laughed when Evan stepped off the elevator and twirled for her. "Anything except the techie. He's a douche bag."

"Speaking of techies, we have a broken satellite phone that I want him to take a look at. It's in Evan's pack downstairs." Jonathan mentioned and Murphy gave them a small salute as she swapped places with them in the elevator.

"I'll get right on it." She said and before the doors shut she motioned at Jonathan. "Your face, Anjo, I like it. See you guys later."

The doors closed and Jonathan sighed. He scratched at the stubble on his face again. "I need to shave. This is fucking aggravating."

Evan ran his hands through his hair, "Yep. I need a trim. Can you cut hair?"

"No, but Langley can." Jonathan pushed open the doors to the laundry that was empty. He rummaged with the Asian for new clothes, anything that wasn't soaked in blood was fine with him. But they both found almost identical pants and shirts like they had on before. Something caught Jonathan's eye while Evan was pulling briefs up his sore legs. He unfolded the shirt in his hands and did his best not to stare when he turned to Evan and said, "Here, I'm pretty sure this is yours."

He tossed the fabric at him and he watched the smile spread across his face. Evan sighed with contentment when he pulled the cat shirt over his head, the same shirt Jonathan had found him in. It had a few holes in it, but it still fit his personality like a glove. Jonathan put more distance between them and turned away when he felt himself wanting to grin.

"You know, this is kind of weird." Evan said as he finished dressing himself.

"What?"

"All of this." Evan motioned between them with his hands. "Me and you, we've never talked like this before. Like we're just two normal guys, maybe even friends."

The anxiety twisted in Jonathan's stomach and he was pushing him away in his mind as fast as he could, shutting himself back down. He'd let his guard down for just a moment and here they were, swapping stories, sharing pieces of their pasts. He never meant to let him in as much as he had. So he shook his head and denied it. "We're not frie -"

"Jonathan." Evan cut him off short and curt. "I said maybe. You don't have to let me in and I don't have to be your friend. That's fine. But I'm by your side almost every waking hour. The only thing I want is to understand you a little better. I like hearing you speak, it's almost like you're a real person and not dead inside."

Evan picked up a new pair of shoes and socks and exited the room, leaving Jonathan standing there feeling lost in a world he thought he knew. He did what he did best though and stopped thinking about it. He dressed, grabbed a bite to eat, then went back down to the bottom floor where he found his handkerchief sitting there on a table waiting for him, clean and dry. Evan was in a nearby chair, letting Langley cut his hair down to a more decent looking mess on top of his head. Murphy was in front of him in a heartbeat with an electric razor and a beautiful smile.

"Shave?" She asked sweetly. "It must get itchy beneath that mask of yours."

"It does and yes, I'd appreciate it." He sank down into a chair. "I'd do it myself, but I can't lift my arms right now."

"Not a problem, babe. Leave it to me."

For the first time in weeks, he relaxed even if it was short lived and after his face was as smooth as a baby's ass he went back upstairs and fell onto a bunk where he slept for what felt like days. It was enough to get him going again and he was up and moving before everyone else. Everyone except for Evan, who was standing in the lobby by the front doors fiddling with his camera. Jonathan approached him and right before he tied the mask around his neck and pulled it up, he saw a flash and looked up to find Evan smiling.

"Sorry, just making sure this shit still works." He lied then tucked it into his bag and opened up the doors. A gust of warm air blew past them and Jonathan pulled his hat on while he walked past him and back out into the world in which he belonged. The world that was empty and quiet and dead.

They ran, putting the previous days events behind them for the time being. Jonathan would talk to Maria when the day came to a close, check on the baby when he felt the need, just to make sure that he had indeed saved the child and didn't let it die against Livia's wishes. No one else needed to die because of him.

His lungs were still sore but the more he ran the more comfortable he felt once again. Just another day on the rooftops, but today they had a destination; the Southside markets just as he'd promised Evan. Evan, who had also lost a friend in the chaos. But maybe they could find her. Maybe Evan could have something good come out of all this and find what he'd lost. Jonathan had hope for him and just as soon as he started thinking that it wouldn't be the worst thing to try and be his friend, the man came up from behind and flicked him hard on the ear and ran off laughing when Jonathan tried to chase him down and murder him.

He was back to being an obnoxious asshole and Jonathan went back to hating him, but he deep down he knew he really didn't. He just hated how cheerful he made himself seem even when he knew now that he wasn't. He hated that Evan was trying to work his way even further beneath his skin, trying to get to know him, trying to be his friend. He hated that he ran so well and that his laugh was actually quite nice to listen to especially when he was telling him a story while they sat up in a safehouse in the dark waiting for sleep to take over. He hated that he actually, honestly liked him. He hated that Evan was just as fucked up on the inside as he was. They just both had their ways of hiding it.

Evan's laughter died down when Jonathan let him go as they reached the markets. He shoved him playfully and blew him a kiss, laughing when Jonathan rolled his eyes. The sun was beating down on them as it rose in the sky. Jonathan was wiping his forehead and about to comment on how quiet it was when a flash of white caught his eye. Evan bolted, jumped down into the streets and rolled to his feet before sprinting after the quick creature that had already disappeared.

Jonathan followed after him, "Evan! Wait!"

"No!" He yelled back and took off into an alleyway. "I saw her!"

Their footsteps echoed against the dirty buildings, but so did the sharp snapping of metal on metal and the shrill cry of a dog in pain. The dread ran up Jonathan's spine with the sound of Evan's voice as he screamed, "LUCAH!"


	5. Chapter 5

Song: The Hour - Answer

* * *

Evan's desperate cry echoed endlessly down the empty alleyway and all Jonathan could do was listen to it fade as he raced behind him. Evan fell to his knees beside a struggling pile of white fur that whimpered and kicked beneath his hands.

"Lucah, why did you run?" Evan took a deep breath, fighting back tears as he eyed the bear-trap that was holding fast around her leg. The blood stood out so bright against her hair and he didn't know what to do.

"She's been out here for months, we may have scared her or she could have been chasing something." Jonathan got down on one knee beside him, examining the scene before them.

Evan cut his eyes at him and said with just a hint of bitterness, "Like what? There's nothing alive left out here."

Jonathan didn't even blink, "She's alive. That cat we found was alive and so was Livia and her child. It's pretty fucking obvious she's been living off of something or your dog would've starved to death a long time ago. She was probably chasing her next meal and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time like all of us seemed to have been at one point or another. She's alive and she'll be fine, we just need to get her back to the tower and let David look at her."

Evan shut his eyes and ground his teeth together trying to relax himself but when he opened his eyes again, watching the way Jonathan kept his eyes fixed to the dark, shady end of the alley, he felt the uneasiness sink in again. "You still think there are other people out here don't you?"

Jonathan pulled his pack off his back and produced an extra shirt that he ripped into a long strip. "Hold her still."

Evan did as he was told because Jonathan didn't hesitate in finding the release on the trap. Lucah cried when he pulled the metal teeth from her leg and began wrapping it tightly with the ripped shirt.

"I'll put it this way." Jonathan remarked. "I wasn't the one who put these traps here."

Evan seemed concerned about that thought for a moment but he forgot about it the second Lucah cried out again as Jonathan tied the fabric a little tighter. "Be careful!"

"Evan!" Jonathan snapped and grabbed his shirt collar. "She's going to be fine. Yes, she'll be in pain, but she'll be fine. Now let's go before whoever put these traps here shows up."

Evan tried to pick her up off the ground but he was shaking so bad he couldn't do it. Jonathan didn't say a word just pulled him out of the way and hauled the dog up over his shoulder. Evan gave him a worried look.

"I've got her." Jonathan spoke softy for once. "Do you trust me?"

Evan didn't even blink. "Yes."

"We'll go slow with her, just lead the way. We need to stay down on the streets." Jonathan instructed and let Evan gather himself before setting off at a light jog down the empty roads.

He hated how anxious and rattled Evan was, the way his legs were unsteady. But he'd just found his best friend that he thought was dead, so he more than understood. If he'd found Tyler, he probably wouldn't be able to move, let alone breathe. But that was a hopeless dream. Tyler was dead.

So he watched it run it's course through his running partner whose tremble had eased the closer they jogged toward the tower. The sun was pelting down on them and the dog was hot in his arms. She gave a steady but quiet whine, like she didn't want to be loud. He adjusted her until he was cradling her, to ease the strain on his shoulder.

"You're going to be okay." He whispered to her and her blue eyes met his and she licked his shoulder in response it seemed like. Jonathan grinned beneath his mask and turned his gaze back ahead of him to see Evan opening the gate.

Sweat was rolling down his face and he gave Lucah and reassuring squeeze when Jonathan passed by. The doors flew open a second later and Lui took off back inside to call the elevator before either one of them could ask. No one said a word when Evan passed by looking less distraught then he had earlier, but distraught nonetheless.

Lucah kicked a bit once Evan was right there with her, petting her and kissing her face. She struggled and whined but Jonathan held her tight.

Evan grinned sadly, "It's okay, baby girl. I found you, I'm here."

The elevator carried them up and Jonathan didn't realize he was staring until the doors cracked open and Evan's eyes snapped up to meet his. Jonathan turned away and carried her out into the hall.

Brock came around the corner and surprise flashed across his face when he saw a dog in their company. He rushed over and held in hands out in demand for an explanation.

Evan spoke up. "She's mine and she's been out there on her own for months. She got caught in a trap in an alleyway, can you and David help her?"

Brock hesitated but then nodded, "Of course, I don't see why not. Bring her this way and I'll x-ray her leg. That looks nasty."

"It's probably broken." Jonathan added and heard Evan sigh. He felt the need to reassure him, so he did. "But it'll heal just as fast as our bones do, maybe quicker."

"I hope so." Evan mumbled and gave her another pat.

Brock led them into a room that had an odd looking machine in it, the x-ray machine. Jonathan laid her down as gently as he could.

Brock loosened the shirt around her leg and started it up. While he scanned her, he spoke off the top of his head. "I've never treated animals before. That's more of Brian's thing, but . . . you know."

Jonathan gave him a sympathetic look but Evan was confused. "Shouldn't Brian be doing it then? Whoever Brian is."

Brock gave a short forced laugh and shrugged, "Well, if he wasn't out there eating people, I'd ask him for help."

"Oh." Evan ran his hands through his hair and pulled out of frustration. "I am so fucking sorry. I didn't know."

"You couldn't have known." Brock grinned and shook his head. "It seems like people have a knack for losing their best friends around here."

The silence hung thick and the tension was visible all of a sudden. It was uncomfortable and Jonathan was about to turn to leave when Brock shut the machine down and went into the next room for the results. Evan was swaying back and forth anxiously on his feet and Jonathan really wanted to get away. Because all he had the urge to do was ask him if he was okay.

"It's broken." Brock said when he came back in the room. "But me and David can put it in a cast, three weeks tops just to make sure it's fully healed."

Evan put his hands on his hips and looked at his shoes, nodding. "Alright, thanks man. I appreciate it."

Brock clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. "You got your best friend back. That's something to smile about."

Evan blinked at him and broke into a smile, "Yeah. It is."

But then his heart hammered in his chest when he watched Jonathan turn and leave without a second glance. Evan knew why and he felt like an asshole for snapping at him so much earlier. He'd just found his best friend, but Jonathan would never find his and all he felt was the urge to tell him that he was sorry.

So he bolted out the door after him, "Hey!"

Jonathan turned and held a hand up, "Stop."

Evan scrunched his brows as he stopped just an inch shy of the man's hand. He let his eyes rake over his face when he pulled his mask down around his neck.

Evan sighed. "I just wanted to tell you that . . ."

Jonathan shook his head, "Don't tell me you're sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for, I'm glad you found her. Don't thank me either, because I would've helped her no matter what."

He started to back away and turned back down the hall toward the elevator. Evan broke into a laugh. "Are you fucking serious? That's bullshit and you know it!"

He laughed even harder when Jonathan kept walking like an asshole, ignoring him. "Come on, Angel Boy! You know you did it for me because you actually like me! You just don't want to admit it!"

Brock listened to their bickering and couldn't help but grin. Evan's smartass remarks and aggravating habits reminded him so much of his own best friend that he'd lost to the sea of monsters that swept across the city that night.

* * *

 _"Oooh, look at this one Brocky. It matches your eyes." Brian held up a purse to the side of his best friend's face and laughed at the look he gave him._

 _"I don't need a purse. That's what my pockets are for." Brock smirked._

 _Brian dropped it and picked up something else, "This then! It's manlier. A man purse. Satchel. Pack. Whatever sounds more manly."_

 _The ground shook beneath them and Brock didn't have time to come up with some ridiculous pun that would send Brian into a fit of laughter. Instead he pulled him into a building while a swarm of people ran down the streets. They stayed ducked down, peeking out of the window as the sun dropped and the city got eerily quiet, pulling the curtain shut when two men come walking by. Brian spotted a dog running at full sprint down an alleyway when Brock led him out when he thought it was all over and they could finally investigate. They were in a tight, dark alley, Brock leading the way when they felt another explosion and a scream that pierced the night._

 _"Where are we going?!" Brian whispered and kept a fist full of Brock's shirt in his hand as he walked along behind._

 _"Towards the hospital. They have to have help there."_

 _But they weren't close enough to the tower that stood high in the sky ahead of them when they heard a wet disgusting growl behind them. Then there were more that echoed right behind it, uneven shuffling footsteps that slowly started to sprint._

 _Brock remembered the hairs standing up on the back of his arms when Brian shoved him forward and into a hard run. "Go! There's something right behind us! Don't look back! BROCK RUN!"_

 _"GO! DON'T FUCKING STOP, BROCK! RUN!" He couldn't hear his voice getting farther away as he told him to keep going. The adrenaline was pumping through him and there was a part of him that was grateful he didn't have the courage to turn around at the time. He didn't know what he wouldn't seen if he had. He could only imagine the way they had tackled Brian down, bit as his flesh._

 _The one thing Brock never would forget was the last sound that he let out before he was silent forever._

 _A scream._

 _It still haunted him._

* * *

Jonathan went up to the floor he'd been avoiding for as long as he could, but he knew that the sooner he told Nana Maria about her daughter, the better. He still had a little blood on his arm from Lucah and he blamed that on the way everyone stared at him extra hard as he moved down the hall avoiding eye contact. He still felt a sick to his stomach at just another reminder that he had no one and that the one person he used to have, was dead, buried. Just another reminder that he had only himself to blame.

He really was glad Evan had found his other half, because if both of them continued on being broken they'd end up killing each other. He still might, so actually the event changed nothing. Why was he even thinking about Evan?

All he used to think about was where he hadn't searched yet, what supplies they needed, how much he needed to shave, how fucking hot it was getting outside, and how pretty the sun was when it was dropping and rising on the horizon. But now . . . it was brown eyes and a smile. Neither of which belonged to him. Jonathan hated it so fucking much but Evan was a necessity at this point and there was no going back now. He shook his head at himself as he turned down another hall. He always did manage to find the most unfortunate ways to fuck himself over. It was almost enough to make him laugh.

He cleared his throat when he entered the room, the kids paying him no mind. The rescue cat was still holding their attention as he made his way over to the woman in her chair. She turned her head when he was beside her and somehow she always knew what he was there for. Always knew what he was about to say.

"You found her." She spoke calmly.

Jonathan nodded and squat down, linking his fingers together. "We found her as the sun went down. I heard her screaming and when we found her in an old building, she was in labor and we were running out of time. She'd lost so much blood and they were coming for us, for her."

"I understand." Maria turned her gaze back to the window.

"No, Maria, you don't." He reached for her hand. "Evan delivered your grandson right there on the tiled floor, but Livia wouldn't . . . she wouldn't let us help her. Told us to take her child and run. So we did. I ran harder than I ever have and I can still feel it in my lungs. But she asked one thing of me. Just one."

Maria squeezed his fingers and touched his face with her other soft hand. "You killed her."

Jonathan nodded and he felt himself about to choke on the knot forming in his throat. "I'm so sorry."

"She did not want to become one of those things."

Jonathan shut his eyes tight, "I snapped her neck."

"You saved her." Maria shook him. "You saved my grandchild. Look at me."

He forced his eyes open and watched her grin sadly down at him, " _Thank you_."

* * *

Evan was all over the tower, feeling more like himself since all of this happened. He ate a decent lunch with the girls, Langley and Murphy, who teased him and made filthy jokes about his obscenely long fingers. They attempted to pull Angel Boy's name from his lips but he never gave it up, so they smacked him against his head like they were his siblings and he threw them deuces when they parted ways. Everyone here was really starting to feel like family, even David who was slowly growing on him even though he was a complete loner who only socialized when Evan forced his way into his clinic and insisted they get to know each other better. He hovered like a fly when they put a cast on Lucah's leg.

He went upstairs to check on the baby, but silently stepped out of the room when he found Maria cradling her grandchild with tears running down her face. He'd had enough reunions for one day, the only one he was interested in was the one between him and Jonathan. But the man had vanished and he could only assume he went back out into the favela to distract himself from everything that had happened. Evan had learned that the guy didn't like to linger on things, didn't like to think about the past. He saw how fast he'd turned to leave when the subject of best friends had surfaced. It was like he knew it was going to drag him down so he left to take his mind off of it before it consumed it. Evan wanted to help and really didn't know how, other than to plant himself firmly between Jonathan and his past and make him focus on what was right in front of him.

He wanted to be his friend. He wanted to be there, but Jonathan was a fucking expert at making himself invisible when he didn't want to be found apparently. Evan searched the tower relentlessly when Scotty crossed his heart and hoped to die when he told him that Jonathan hadn't gone back outside.

Marcel watched Evan jump back in the elevator, sighing when the doors closed. "They're adorable."

"Why? They just run together and get sweaty, how does that make them adorable?" Ryan, their newest defender recruit asked with a look on his face that no one had warmed up to yet.

"Dude, you haven't even seen them together yet. They run, take care of each other, put up with each other." Marcel spun the knife in his hands while Scotty squinted at him suspiciously, waiting for him to throw it at the wall beside his head like he had been doing all day. "Evan is loud and enthusiastic and all over the guy, but Anjo keeps pretending to hate him but honestly I think he's starting to warm up to him. I think he'd scared to actually admit that he likes the man. I don't think he wants to stroke Evan's ego and let him know that he was right. It's gonna be hilarious when he does, though. Evan will never let him live it down."

"So are they friends or what?"

Lui shrugged. "That depends on who you ask. You ask Anjo, he'd say fuck no. Ask Evan and he'd say they're best friends and paint each other's toenails."

Scotty snickered. "Ask Langley or Murph and they'd say that they're fucking."

Murphy opened her mouth to retaliate but then thought about it and nodded. "Yeah."

Ryan furrowed his brows, "So, basically this is like a reality t.v. show for you guys?"

"Basically." Marcel confirmed and slung his knife across the room where is stuck into the wall beside his partner's head, making Scotty release a high pitched scream that he cut short by slapping his hand over his own mouth.

Ryan laughed, "Well at least there's not a dull moment around here or I'd be going back to laundry duty."

Langley stood watch by the front door. "Trust me. When you hear and see more of Cat and Anjo, you'll jump on the boat with us. It's better than reality t.v."

* * *

There was nowhere else Evan could look and he was starting to think that Jonathan had purposefully slipped away behind his back when he wasn't looking. But just as he was about to give up and just turn in for the night, Evan saw a door that had been propped open with a cinder block. He was on the top floor, stepping down the hall to the opening that he learned led to a stairwell that took him to the roof of the hospital where the air was considerably more tolerable than it was on the ground. It wasn't so stifling hot and suffocating, it was almost crisp.

It was quiet and that was something he used to love. He used to seek out the silent places where he could sit and stare out at the scenery and the stars, Lucah sitting beside him in a comfortable moment of peace and quiet. Complete silence. He never had that back in California with his money hungry family. He never had anything really. Or anyone.

Now when he sat in silence, his past crept up on him and all he could think about was how alone he really was and how much he didn't want to be. He didn't want to think and that's exactly what silence in their zombieland made him do. Still, the sound of nothing beckoned him to the edge of the building and the dark city below pulled at his chest. There was nothing but the chirping of crickets and the occasional echo of a scream that he'd stopped flinching from weeks ago. This was their home now no matter which way they looked at it. He breathed in the cool air and felt the goosebumps run up his arms for a moment.

"If you fell, would you land on all fours?" Jonathan said in the dark and Evan was grinning at him where he sat on the edge to his left a little further down. Jonathan motioned him closer with his head and Evan drifted to him like a magnet and threw his legs over the side and sat beside him, legs dangling freely in the calm breeze.

"If I fell, would you try to catch me?" Evan asked out of pure curiosity and only slightly out of amusement.

Jonathan, maskless, shrugged and picked at his nails. "Probably."

Something wasn't right. He seemed more distracted than ever. Evan watched the way he stretched his fingers before pulling them into a tight fist and then repeating it all over again. Evan blinked in comprehension. Jonathan had anxiety, but over what?

"What's wrong?"

Jonathan didn't respond immediately and Evan let him take his time forming an answer because the struggle was obvious on his pretty face. It took him a minute before he got it out. "She thanked me."

Evan didn't know what he was talking about. But Jonathan took a deep unsteady breath and elaborated.

"I killed her daughter and she thanked me for it." He almost sounded pitiful and Evan felt that tiny pull in his chest again. He'd never seen Jonathan hurt over something. This was really bothering him and Evan wanted to fix it. He wanted that look on his face to go away.

"Jonathan, if you hadn't killed Livia she would've been mauled to death. You did what you had to do and she _wanted_ you to do it. You made it quick and painless and that's what Maria is thanking you for. She still has her, in her grandchild." Evan nudged his arm and Jonathan glanced over at him. "The grandchild you saved. So stop lingering on the bad and look at what good came out of it. You're doing everything you can and everyone knows that. I know that. Stop blaming yourself when people die. She died because she wasn't going to be able to get on her feet. She told us to go. She knew."

Jonathan huffed and a sad smile played his lips. "It's funny."

Evan scrunched his brows. "Why is that funny?"

Jonathan clenched his jaw and stared out at the dark city below. "It was the exact same way with Tyler. Except I didn't make it quick and painless. I couldn't _do_ anything. He told me to go and I left him there to die. Alone. I ran and I still wonder if he died fast or if he laid there for days slowly bleeding to death or if the screamers found him and pulled him apart while his legs were stuck beneath our car and the entire building that came down on him. I'll never fucking know and I can't . . . ."

"I'm sorry." Evan said quietly and he didn't really know what else to say or where to look other than at the city, because looking at Jonathan was killing him. He was so full of pain, filled to the brim with anger and agony. Evan didn't know how he had kept it bottled up for so long but he understood a little better why he was the way he was.

"Don't apologize." The man whispered. "It's not your fault."

"It's not yours either." Evan gripped the concrete beneath his fingers. "You need to get that through that pretty head of yours."

There it was, the faintest of smiles played at his lips and Evan felt better about the entire situation just from that small pull at the corner of his mouth. He knew he was going to be okay and he knew that in the morning, he would probably go right back to trying to ignore him and brush their friendship aside and pretend it wasn't there. Evan almost laughed at the thought, almost. Instead they sat in silence for a while until their eyes were fully adjusted to the night and the memories started to surface in Evan's head the longer they sat.

"One of my favorite things back in California, before my life went to shit, was the time we had a bad earthquake and it was strong enough to knock the power out for two weeks. I sat on the roof of our house for days, camped out with snacks, just watching. It was so fucking peaceful. Midnight would roll around and there wouldn't be a sound, just bugs. I could see people in the distance with flashlights. It was so dark and calm and you could see the Milky Way up above if you looked hard enough. It was beautiful, honestly. I remember being so disappointed when everything went back to normal, because I am everything but normal and I felt more at home on that rooftop on those dark nights than I ever did growing up in suburbia." Evan looked up at the sky and saw the cluster of stars in a thick line that made up their galaxy. It stretched across the sky and he felt like a kid again, amazed by the vastness of space and how small and insignificant they all were.

"I practically lived in the woods growing up." Jonathan said and Evan was pleasantly surprised by how much he was opening up. "I'm from North Carolina, so it's forest for days and I made my own little tree house where no one could find me. It was high up enough in a tree where I could see the sky. I'd bring my paint and brushes and draw on the inside of the wood. I carved scenes into the tree. Sometimes I'd sleep there, watching the earth spin and stars move. I'd watch the sun come up and I felt more at home there than I did in my actual bed."

"Do you miss it?'

"Every day." Jonathan sighed. "If it weren't for the screams, I wouldn't mind being stuck here in the dark."

Evan hummed, "That's something else we have in common."

Jonathan huffed. "I hate how you keep finding things."

"And I love how you keep denying them." Evan smiled when Jonathan rolled his eyes and swung his legs back over, closing himself back up and going back to his normal self.

"I'm going to get some sleep."

Evan chuckled. "No you're not. You're going to lie awake and think about me. Don't lie."

"Yeah, think about casually shoving you off a rooftop in the near future." Jonathan flipped him off with a fake grin before he disappeared through the door, leaving Evan sitting there alone to drown in his thoughts.

And Jonathan would be damned if he didn't lay awake for three fucking hours thinking about the bastard and how much he liked sitting up there with him, talking, learning something new about him. Evan had made him feel better about Livia, about everything and he tried to come up with an excuse to dislike him, but there was nothing there and he rolled over on his pillow and sighed miserably to himself before finally falling sleep. For once he didn't have a nightmare, he didn't see the color red. He saw a beautiful thriving Rio, kids laughing, running up and down the streets, music echoing around him. He saw Tyler waving just down the road, his blue eyes shining in the sun. Then he felt a heavy body jumping onto his back and he looked down as Evan's tan tattooed arms circled around him. Jonathan slipped his hands under his knees and held him and he heard him say in his ear. "What are you waiting for? Let's go, Angel Boy."

Something in him felt whole and he didn't know why or how. He walked with the Asian on his back like an obnoxious kid he couldn't shake, but he didn't mind. He liked the way he laughed in his ear. He could feel him smile against his neck. The closer they got to Tyler the warmer he felt, the more complete the hole in his heart was. All he could do was smile and all Evan could say was, "That looks so good on you. And so do I."

Jonathan smiled wider and shook his head because it was something Evan would really say and he didn't know when he started to realized those things. Like how he knew what Evan would probably say or what kind of look he was going to give him or what would make him snort with laughter. He didn't know when Evan crawled beneath his skin but he had and Jonathan didn't know how to get him out.

When he woke, it was to the sound of the Asian's laugh echoing down the hall and when he ventured down the white hall towards it he felt that warmth again, just like in his dream. Jonathan leaned against the doorway to the other's bunks and Evan was sitting in the floor, laughing as Lucah gave everyone licks in greeting. She hobbled around on her cast leg and settled in her owner's lap.

Murphy spotted him at the door and smiled. "Good morning, sunshine."

"Morning." He rubbed at his eyes and Evan caught his stare. Jonathan looked at him for long moment, feeling entirely different about the man now and he swallowed down the revelation as he turned back down the hallway. Distance was his only option right now. He pulled his clothes on, tightened his shoelaces, and wrapped his mask around his face. He was pulling his hat on backwards and grabbing his pack when he heard heavy panting behind him. He turned to find Lucah and all her beautiful albino glory sitting there staring up at him with bright eyes. He dropped down and she moved forward, licking his fingers. Jonathan gave her a pat.

"I know you loathe it, but she's saying thank you." Evan spoke as he moved down the hall toward him. Jonathan eyed his bare chest and the art that was scattered across his skin. "I taught her that while we traveled. She's learned to speak in her own way now."

Jonathan nodded and stroked her hair one more time before he pushed himself back to his feet. Evan cocked his head to the side. "Are you running?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes avoiding the body right in front of him. "Yeah, I'll go stir crazy if I stay here too long. I need to get back into my routine. My feet are restless."

Evan smirked, "That's cute. Well, I'm going to stay here for a little while with her."

"Yeah, whatever you need to do." Jonathan started backing away. "I'll be out there with the wild ones."

"Be careful." Evan chewed at his lip. "I don't know if I've grown on you, but you've grown on me and I'd miss your ass if it disappeared. I almost like it more than I like your face."

Jonathan didn't fight the smile this time because it was useless, but he had a knot in his throat from trying to stop the laugh that forced it's way out. It shocked the hell out of Evan by the look on his face and it scared the shit out of Jonathan because the last time he laughed, it was because of someone he'd never see again. His laughed faded and he felt sick the longer he watched the smiled spread on Evan's face. He didn't want this. He didn't want Evan to end up like Tyler. He bit back the feeling and Evan saw it, he knew he did because he stepped forward when Jonathan stepped away. He dug his nails into his palms and turned for the stairwell. Just before he pushed the metal door open he heard his name.

"Jonathan . . ."

He turned his head slightly, "I'll be careful."

He ran down the stairs, heart beating faster as he pushed his way out into the daylight. He tried to forget but every thing he did, Evan was there in the forefront of his mind, behind his eyelids when he shut his eyes. He could hear his smartass comments while he searched through houses distractedly. He could see him looking up at him, eyebrow raised and a stupid ass grin on his face.

He slid to a stop as he ran down an empty street. The dust stirred around him and he heaved in air, putting his hands on his head as he paced back and forth. There was a dumpster just to his right and his foot kicked at the metal side until it was dented in and he was yelling at nothing.

"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" He caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Fuck . . ."

He gave up, because there was no denying it and he knew he couldn't stop caring about the guy anymore than he could stop running. He dug around in his pack for a bottle of water and felt something that he hadn't put in there. He pulled it out and in his hand was an old scratched up ipod with a small piece of paper underneath the headphone cord wrapped around it. He pulled the paper out and unfolded it. His heart gave a small lurch.

 _"Hey, I know you're going through some shit right now and music always helps me. So you should listen while you run to clear your head. This is my ipod, found it in my things when we went to my old hotel room a while back. I put a solar charger in your pack, too, if the battery starts to die. When Lucah gets out of her cast, I'll be back out there with you, so don't get too comfortable. I know how much you like to be alone and I like my space, too. But if I'm being honest, I really really like pissing you off and getting on your nerves, so I'll just keep doing that. I regret nothing. Stay sexy._

 _And just so you know, you mumble in your sleep. Super fucking adorable, dude._

 _-Evan (definitely the coolest guy you know)"_

 **(Listen to MO - Kamikaze) -walk**

Jonathan didn't have it in him to crumple it up, so he folded it up neatly and put it in a pocket inside his bag where it would be safe and sound. He sighed and put the ear buds in his ears and pressed shuffle before sliding it in his pocket. He waited for the music and when it slipped past his ears, his mind fell silent and his feet started moving, jogging in a steady rhythm with the beat. He found himself grinning again as he pulled himself up onto the rooftops. The city was stretched out in all directions around him and he could go anywhere he wanted to. This was freedom, even if was only until the sun went down. Then it was a nightmare, but they were surviving and they wouldn't let it stop them.

He glanced at the tower and thought to himself that this one more thing that he and Evan had in common: the music. He wouldn't deny this one, he embraced it and let it carry him across the city, he let it clear his head, almost made him forget why he was running in the first place. Jonathan felt more like himself and he had Evan to thank for that.

And he told himself that he would tell him when he saw him again.

* * *

"You should really stop." Murphy peeked through her fingers at Evan who was doing push-ups, shirtless, with Lucah sitting on his back.

He looked up at her and did another one, smiling when she covered her eyes completely. "Why?"

Langley sat down beside her, "Because it's insanely hot and you're driving us crazy. That's why."

Evan laughed and let Lucah step down before he pushed himself to his feet. "I apologize."

Langley sighed, watching the sweat run down his torso. "So, has your partner in crime confessed his feelings for you yet?"

Evan wiped off with a towel and leaned against a pillar in the the lobby. "No, unfortunately. I thought he was going to for a second. But he just turned and left." He shrugged. "He hasn't come back in two weeks, so maybe he's just working himself up to it."

Evan ventured up a few floors for a shower and turned on the speaker and music player that Bryce, the techie, let him have when he pestered him enough for it one day. Something smooth started flowing through the room and he let it play as he stripped down and stepped beneath hot water. He wasn't lost in his thoughts for too long before the door swung open rather violently and Jonathan trudged in, covered in blood and black stuff with a look on his face that Evan, honest to God, tried his best not to laugh at. But he failed.

"Don't ask." Jonathan peeled his clothes off and Evan reached over into the stall next to him and cut the water on for him.

"You know I'm gonna." Evan leaned on the tile divider and watched the blood roll down his skin in lines with the water when Jonathan stepped into it. "So, what happened?"

"A lot of things. First, I found more traps. New ones in a different place than where we found Lucah. There's someone else out there. Second, I found a screamer in a closet on a third story shack in the middle of the day. No fucking idea how it got there, but it scared the shit out of me and I had to stab it's brains out. That's where this blood came from and all this black shit that smells like gut rot and death. So fucking pissed right now." Jonathan griped and scrubbed extra hard at his face with the soap and Evan just leaned his head on his hand and watched.

"I'm sorry for your troubles. You missed a spot." Evan said and ran a soapy hand down the middle of his back, not missing the way Jonathan tensed for a moment before relaxing again beneath the heat. "So, what do the lines on your arm mean?"

Jonathan looked over at his bicep and looked at the three large chevron arrows beneath one another on his arm. One was blue and the other two were purple and pink, outlined in a thick line of black. "One for each sibling. Older brother, two younger sisters."

"What about the one on your right arm?"

Jonathan turned and put in the light. "Just a doodle I did one day."

"So you're really an artist. Did you do the bird on your chest, too?" Evan wondered and he was feeling lucky that Jonathan was even telling him anything.

"I did. It was my first and it was the one tattoo I always wanted. There was a hawk that would fly around my tree house way back in the day and I sketched it out one day. When I got older I modified it and went and had it done. It's one of the only things I'm proud of."

"You should be." Evan sighed. "It's beautiful."

"What about you?" Jonathan washed the soap out of his hair before scrubbing again for extra measure. "What do your tattoos mean?"

Evan shrugged. "Nothing really. I did some out of spite and some I was drunk. The only one I really put effort into is the one on my back. I wanted it to look like you could see beneath my skin, to my spine."

He turned in the stall and let Jonathan look at it properly. He felt his fingers run over the bones of his spine and the ones that were tattooed over them. "That's pretty awesome."

"I know." Evan turned back around. "Are you staying here tonight?"

"Maybe. All I know is that I'm tired of eating granola bars and canned soup." Jonathan cut his water off and toweled off while Evan did the same.

"Well, let's get dressed and go eat something good then."

Jonathan didn't argue and he wouldn't say that he really enjoyed the company that Evan was so willing to give him. It was like he'd stayed up waiting for him to come in and see him and that made his heart beat a little faster than he wanted it to. They sat in a corner in the cafeteria, ignoring the looks they always got. Jonathan was about to die, he was so hungry and he let out a noise of pleasure when he took a bite of a casserole that one of the cooks had made for the hell of it. He looked up to find Evan staring at him like there was something on his face.

"What?" He shoveled the food into his mouth as fast as it would go and washed it all down with water until he felt miserable.

"You just seem . . . different. Usually you're all brooding and avoiding me as much as you can. But now you're acting like a normal guy and it's fucking weird, in a good way." Evan took a bite of his food and shrugged at him. "I don't know. You're just different. I like it."

Jonathan sat back and wiped at his mouth. "I'm going to say something and if you let it go to your head, I will fucking cut you."

"I'm dying to hear it then." Evan crossed his arms and sat back with a smug look on his face.

Jonathan squinted at him threateningly. "I want to thank you for the music . . . . and for everything you said on the roof that night. I know I've been an asshole to you and I did it because I didn't want to get close to you, but you are such an obnoxious persistent little shit that I can't help but like you. I don't know . . . . you make this entire situation a little easier to deal with and I want you know that I _do_ consider you my friend."

Evan sat there in silence, looking at him, waiting on him to take it all back. But he smiled so wide that it hurt when Jonathan never revoked his statement. "How the fuck is that supposed to _not_ go to my head?!"

Jonathan groaned and stood up, his chair skidding out behind him while Evan laughed hysterically, following him. "I mean . . . I _know_ you know that I've been dying to hear you come out and say it. You're a big fucking softy, I fucking knew it. Oh man. You totally love me."

Jonathan spun around with a knife in his hand, but Evan couldn't take him seriously. "I tolerate your Asian ass, there's a difference."

Evan continued to giggle as they washed their dishes and put them up. Jonathan pulled his mask back up and he felt that irrefutable warmth rush through him when Evan hoisted himself onto his back, just like in his dream. And just like in his dream, he absentmindedly hooked his hands behind his knees and carried him. Evan spoke in his ear. "It's bro-code that you carry your bro when he's too full to walk."

"It's also bro-code that I kick your ass for being too big of a bitch." Jonathan retaliated but it held no bite. Evan dropped from his shoulders when they got into the elevator. The doors closed and Evan gave him a devilish grin.

"Nah, you love me. Just say it."

Jonathan looked up at him through thick lashes before stepping forward, pulling his mask down, and crowding Evan's space. "You're right. How could I have been so blind?"

Evan tried to laugh at his bullshitting but he was really close and really hot and he had his wrists in his hands, squeezing and leaning in. "I love you, bro."

Evan struggled to keep his legs straight when his back was pressed flat against the wall and Jonathan's nose was almost touching his. His intimidating eyes were boring holes into his and Evan was about to start sweating. His breath was rushing over his face and he was licking his plump lips with a ridiculously sexy grin on his face. But it fell when the door dinged and was about to open. He stepped away with a smug smile when Evan didn't move.

"Shit, dude. That made my legs tingle." Evan huffed a laugh. "You should definitely do it again, but ya know, seriously. I wouldn't mind."

Jonathan rolled his eyes and walked out into the lobby, ignoring his sexual teasing as always. He didn't mean it, or at least he didn't think he did. Honestly, Jonathan couldn't tell. But Evan liked to fuck with him so he'd say it was all a big fucking show.

"Together again, at last!" Langley called out and everyone whistled at them. Jonathan glared back at Evan as he came off the elevator.

He wiggled his brows at him, "Let's give them a kiss, yeah?"

"NO." Jonathan stalked over to Marcel's room and set down some of his knives that needed sharpening.

"Oh, come on. I have nice lips, so I've been told."

Jonathan picked up some new weaponry and pocketed the blades, keeping one in his hand when he turned on Evan who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. "I'm sure they're great, but I have better things to do."

Evan sighed dramatically, "You know, you're pretty good at running . . . running from your feelings for me. But whatever you say, man. One day you're going to get tired."

"Maybe one day." Jonathan nearly whispered when he passed by him on the way out. "If you're lucky."

Evan's ear practically perked up. "What?"

"I said if you're lucky, _Princess_."

They headed back to the elevator once Jonathan was completely restocked on supplies and everyone was quiet when they left. Until Ryan cleared his throat and addressed the obvious. "Yeah, so they are pretty fucking in love with each other."

"Boom." Murphy stuck her hand out to Scotty. "You owe me three sticks of deodorant, pay up bitch."

* * *

Evan was feeling pretty good about himself and his now verbally affirmed friendship with Jonathan; savior of the city, the people's angel. But what he wasn't feeling so good about was how fucking attracted to him he was. He knew from the moment he saw him he was going to be drawn to him and that mysterious identity, the faceless hero. He knew from the start that he was bisexual but he'd always been so suppressed by society and his family that he hadn't got to branch out and taste test all the flavors the world had to offer. He'd been with women, but his thoughts about men were always just as hot and on his mind. Though he'd never been with one.

Jonathan was a flame, Evan was the moth and he knew that he was only going to hurt himself if he fell for someone he knew would never want him in return. Instead he settled for being a friend that he could count on no matter what happened out there. Evan was going to be there, because people were scarce lately and he really didn't want to lose this one.

* * *

Jonathan left before the sunset and Evan was getting tired as the dark consumed the world once more and the screams rang out like a bell tolling on the hour. Lucah followed him upstairs and took a bunk that his fellow runner had occupied the previous day because it smelled like him and it was kind of nice. Evan fell asleep with his warm companion sleeping next to him and they woke when they both heard quiet footsteps walking down the hall. He laid there for a moment, waiting on Lui or Ryan or anyone to come walking by, but the sound faded and he fell back asleep in minutes.

Lucah licked him awake an hour later and then peered over the bed at something on the floor. Evan rolled and almost jumped at the creature that sat staring back up at him. He broke into a laugh and picked the Furby off the floor, touching it's worn out fur, soaking in the nostalgia again and the fact that Jonathan had come all the way back to the tower just to leave it on the floor beside him. On the bottom of it was a piece of paper that read, 'this is for you, bitch'.

"That asshole." Evan's face was lit up for the entire day and he really didn't care that everyone was looking at him weird. He really couldn't wait for Lucah to get better because he couldn't wait to get back out there with the one person that was always on his mind.

* * *

Jonathan fiddled with the walkie talkie that Bryce had handed him before he left again that morning. Lui had the other one and thought it was a great idea in case something happened while the runner was out and he had no way of contacting anyone. It was on a weak frequency and he had to be within range to use it, so he had to hope that nothing happened while he was farther out or he was just fucked. Today felt like an odd day out for whatever reason. Maybe because he'd wasted his morning finding that damn Furby just to fuck with Evan. He grinned to himself because it was worth it.

The air was thick and hot. When he stopped on the rooftop near the Southside markets and took a deep breath, he smelled something. It smelled like meat and he could almost taste it on the back of his tongue. It made him nauseous.

Something small and dark darted across his peripherals and he felt like it was all a replay of that morning Evan spotted Lucah running down the alleyway. But this time it was he who slid down the awning on the front of the building, tucked and rolled when he hit he ground, then took off at a sprint in the direction it went. It had to be a person, who else could set traps as well as the ones he was jumping over? He wanted to know who was out here and what they were doing with the things in the first place? Were they catching animals for food, or were they catching people? Or was it for a completely different reason?

He saw it again and it was definitely a guy, dressed in all black, cutting a corner. Jonathan heard his shoes sliding in the dirt on the pavement. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him until he turned the corner too and there he was, standing against a fence with a baseball bat in his hands.

"Whoa, okay. I just want to talk." Jonathan held his hands up to show his neutrality. "Are you the one who's been laying those traps?"

He nodded and rocked back and forth on his feet, like he was anticipating something. Jonathan sure as hell wasn't trying to start a fight, he was just genuinely curious since he hadn't seen anyone outside of the tower since the bombs fell. "Why? What's is all for? Are there more of you?"

"Quite a few, now that you mention it." He sneered and Jonathan swung his elbow out behind him as soon as he felt someone standing behind him. It met the guy's jaw, sending spit flying as he kicked him backwards and away. He turned back around and dodged the first swing of the guy's bat when he ran at him full speed but he couldn't avoid the two others that came running towards him to join the fight. He ducked and got a few dozen hits in before the bat met his ribs and he went down with the wind knocked out of him. He curled in on himself, the pain running through him in waves as they kicked him.

"That's enough Arlan! All of you, back off and tie him up!" A voice called out and echoed through the street. Jonathan winced every time he went to breathe. He had to have a broken rib or a fracture. While they scrambled he pulled out his walkie and attempted to say anything, but he couldn't even hardly do that. It hurt too fucking much.

He clicked the button anyway. "Ev- Evan!"

The guy in black, Arlan, kicked it out of his hands. "I don't think 'Evan' can save you, sweetheart. You're coming home with us."

They pushed him to his stomach and he cried out in pain as they tied his hands behind his back and dragged him by his feet along with them. There was nothing he could do but watch the tower in the distance move even farther away. There was nothing he could do but breathe and think about how he was going to get himself out of this.

 _If_ he could get himself out of this. Big fucking _if_.


	6. Chapter 6

Song: The Neighborhood - Alleyways

* * *

Evan's eyes flew open and he was staring into another pair of crystal blue ones, followed by a wet lick from a long warm tongue. He groaned and rubbed the slobber off his face as his eyes adjusted to the dark. It had to be the middle of the night or early morning.

"Why are you awake, Lucah?" He whispered to his dog and he listened to her whine softly, looking to the door and back at him continuously.

"Do you need to go outside?" Evan asked and she blew air out of her nose and ducked her head in a nod. "Alright, let's go. Quietly, girl."

She obeyed and stepped carefully and silently out of the room, down the hall to the stairwell where she followed Evan to the lobby. Ryan, Langley, and Scotty were on the night shift, up and moving around, organizing things as he passed by. They gave each other quiet nods in greeting and he pushed his way out into the mild night air. Lucah pranced a bit, stretching her legs before doing her business. Evan let her take her time as he walked the perimeter of the barricaded fence checking to make sure everything was still sturdy.

His eyes wandered until his gaze was locked on the dark city stretched out around them. He felt a strong pull in his chest to be out there again, to be running atop the scattered, layered rooftops losing his breath. He wanted to be running beside Jonathan again. Just seeing him would be enough, but he hadn't caught a glimpse of him running the roofs in the distance in over a week and a half now, not since he last saw him inside the tower. Not since he admitted to him that he considered him a friend.

That memory alone made his heart give a dramatic thump. Lucah licked at his fingers and whined again, looking up at him like she knew what he was thinking. Sometimes he believed she really did. He grinned down at her, "Everything's okay. I hope."

He looked back out at the city, swallowing down the urge to go before he turned and led Lucah back inside.

"So what's wrong with him?" Ryan asked after Evan and his dog has disappeared quietly back up the stairs.

Scotty huffed, "You really have to ask?"

"The guy hasn't been with his boy in over three weeks." Langley settled in a chair beside him. "He misses him."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Ryan nodded. "So has anyone even heard from Anjo lately?"

Both Langley and Scott shook their head. They weren't worried. Sometimes he disappeared for more than a few days, a week and a half was nothing out of the ordinary. They went back to their cataloging and organizing and didn't think anything of it.

The only person that was thinking anything of it was Evan, who couldn't go back to sleep because he had a nagging thought in the back of his mind the longer he laid there. What if Jonathan had fallen and hurt himself, broke his walkie and couldn't get back? What if he got eaten in the middle of the night? What if he was stuck somewhere dark and trapped by screamers?

Evan sighed and sat up in the bed once again. Jonathan wasn't that careless, he wouldn't get into trouble that easily. Not now. Would he?

"Fuck." Evan said to himself and got dressed and pulled his hat on backwards like Jonathan did. "Lucah, stay."

She didn't argue and jumped up onto the foot of Murphy's bed and laid down beside her legs, resting her head on her calf. "I'll be back, girl."

Then he was off, pulling his pack onto his shoulders and taking off down the stairs. No one had time to ask him where he was going when he opened the doors and headed out towards the gate as the sun lightened the sky.

* * *

 _Thirsty_.

That's all Jonathan was. He was in pain but he was starting to go numb and he honestly couldn't feel the rib that was possibly cracked in his side. For days he'd laid there, hell it could've been weeks, he didn't know anymore. He was trying to keep a level head about it because if they'd wanted him dead, they would've killed him already. The only thing he'd really learned was that there were about six of them, maybe more but that was all the different sets of footsteps he'd counted. They were all different, some light, some heavy. He never saw them though, there was no way he could from the dark room they kept him in. Light came through only two small cracks in the roof and the line of the door that they would bust through every so often to ask him the same god damn question.

"How many of you are there?"

The question changed a day later.

"How much supplies do you have?"

Then there was a new set of footsteps, heavy set, tall, intimidating. A leader.

It was dark when he came inside and closed the door behind him. There was a chilling silence before a lantern was lit and a bottle of water was offered that Jonathan couldn't grab because of his bound hands. Instead the bottle was placed against his lips and he was allowed to drink. It dripped down his neck and he felt it rolling down his chest but he didn't care. He could've been drinking mud and it wouldn't have mattered. When the bottle was empty he drew in a deep breath and leaned back against the wall he'd become very acquainted with over the past few days.

He couldn't see the man's face in the weak faint light. His eyes wouldn't adjust, but he could tell he was wearing a mask, because his voice was muffled when he finally spoke. It was a new question.

"What's your name?"

But Jonathan had questions of his own. "What the fuck do you want?"

The man sat down and fiddled with a small piece of paper in his hand. "What I want is for you tell me about your people."

"Why? So you can barge in there and take everything we've been working for, instead of just asking us for help?" Jonathan winced when he took too deep a breath. "This isn't a fucking movie. People can actually get along, you know. You don't have to take it all by force and divide everyone into factions. If you wanted supplies we would have given you some. We would have given you shelter, welcomed you with open arms."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." Jonathan groaned as he slid further to the floor as the pain suddenly took him by force. "But I think it's too late for that now."

The man stood once more in the dim light, he towered over him and Jonathan was finding it harder to swallow. His mouth was dry again already. He saw the door open and the guy looked back, "I think you're right."

The door shut calmly and Jonathan was left there wondering what any of them hoped to get out of this.

* * *

Another day passed and the light coming through the small cracks faded until he was alone in the dark once more, listening to the screams pierce his ears like they had every night before. But they were so close this time, like they were just on the other side of the wall. For the first time in a long time, he felt the fear creeping up inside of him.

For the first time since he'd been captured, he actually felt like giving up but he had hope because he knew there was one person who would eventually start to wonder where he was. One person that wouldn't leave it alone.

Just the thought of Evan and his bad jokes and his stupid grin had Jonathan pushing himself around the small room, feeling around for anything sharp. Just the thought of his laugh had him sawing the ties off his hands with a rusted piece of metal that had bent off the wall. Evan was the reason he started plotting his escape.

Because, God damn it all . . . he missed him.

Jonathan almost laughed. He had to be really fucking dehydrated.

* * *

The first thing Evan noticed was how quiet it was. It wasn't out of the ordinary but he was so used to hearing another set of lungs close by, but there was nothing. Just his own heavy breathing and grunts as he hoisted himself up three stories in the stacked favela to get a better view of everything. He let his eyes scan for minutes but nothing budged, not even the birds.

Something was just . . . _wrong_.

The second thing he noticed was the sketchy look on Ryan's face when he finally came in before it got too dark outside. There was something off about the new guy and he couldn't quite place it. It was starting to piss him off a little as they all sat together in the mess hall while they ate a late dinner. Ryan kept glancing at him and darting his eyes away when Evan caught his stare. Evan finally just turned his head his way and waited for him to look at him again. He kept his eyes locked on him and raised an aggravated brow when Ryan finally got caught again, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

Everyone fell silent and looked around at them, feeling the tension settling at the table. Ryan sat back and put his spoon down. He took a deep breath before he said, "I've just been thinking about something that happened a few days ago. It's been bothering me."

He got quiet and Evan was waiting on him to speak, getting pissed the longer he just sat there twiddling his thumbs. "Well . . ."

Ryan cleared his throat, "I think I heard someone on Lui's walkie talkie while he was upstairs one day."

Evan could feel the dread crawl up his spine, felt the hairs stand up on his neck. He tried not to sound so accusing when he clenched his fist on the table, "And you didn't think that was something you should have shared however many days ago?"

"Five days ago and no I didn't think anything of it. I thought I was just imagining it because I was alone and it was quick, a lot of static." Ryan shrugged and looked away like a kid in trouble.

Murphy was squeezing Evan's shoulder, trying to keep him calm. She took a breath and asked cautiously, "Was it just noise or did they say anything?"

"Sounded like a name maybe." Ryan wouldn't look up at anyone, just kept looking at a spot on the table.

Evan breathed out heavily through his nose and Murphy dug her fingers into him even more. He clenched his jaw and got out the question. "Who's name?"

Ryan finally took his eyes off the table and looked Evan in the eye when he whispered, "Yours."

Everyone jumped when Evan's fist hit the table, making their plates jump in front of them. He got to his feet, forgetting the food he no longer had an appetite for. He snatched his arm back when Murphy grabbed for him. "Don't!"

He slammed the door open and stormed down the hallway feeling a fire burning inside of him because there was literally nothing he could do until the sun came up and the screamers ran back into their hiding spots. Jonathan could be trapped or dead. Evan wanted to puke the further he ran up the stairs. He ran until he was on the roof, pulling at his hair as the anxiety built in his gut. He looked out at the city and his fingers shook just knowing that he was out there somewhere and Evan had no idea where.

He slid down the concrete wall, his ass hitting the ground as he buried his head in his arms trying to calm down. Maybe he was just overthinking it, maybe Jonathan was fine and was just too far out of range. But if he'd said something, if he'd said his name five days ago and then went silent after the fact, what did that mean? Evan sat there and silently hoped that Ryan was just imagining hearing it like he said, but he knew deep down that something had gone wrong.

He was deep in his thoughts when he heard footsteps. "This is his spot, you know?"

Evan looked up and saw Marcel standing there with his hands in his pockets. "This is where he always went when he wasn't running or sleeping. I guess to get away from everyone, or maybe to take his mind off of things. But then you came along and I don't really see him up here that much anymore."

Evan just listened, there wasn't really much he wanted to say that didn't involve yelling and punching someone.

Marcel continued. "What I'm getting at, Evan, is that he paints to ease his thoughts. He painted all over that concrete wall behind you and when you busted up in his life one day, he slowly stopped."

Evan just blinked.

"You really mean something to him. You do to him what his art usually does. You help him, whether or not he ever admits it, you do. And I'm sure he's okay out there wherever he is. Maybe he just wanted a break. I know how frustrated he gets when it comes to you."

Evan huffed when he got to his feet. "If I meant something as important to him as his art, he'd be back here already being a complete asshole to me, acting like he doesn't like me like he always does. He wouldn't just disappear."

Marcel nodded, "You're right, but you can't do anything until daylight. So you need to stop sulking thinking the worst has happened. Even if he's in a tight situation, he can get himself out of it. I have faith."

Evan sighed, resigned and he leaned back against the wall he and Jonathan had that one night. He asked quietly, "And what if he can't?"

Marcel shrugged, "Then _you_ will."

Evan watched him head back inside, leaving him alone to drown in his thoughts and anxiety. This was the part where his music would come in handy, but he didn't have it and if he didn't have the music, he used Jonathan instead. He'd ask stupid questions just to see him roll his eyes. Sometimes it helped better than the music did. He would stop thinking about everything, instead his head would be filled with Angel Boy and all of his mysterious glory.

Evan turned towards the city again and whispered, "Where are you?"

He saw a quick flash of light in the distance and thought it wasn't real until he saw it again. It looked like a flashlight flickering in between buildings near the Southside markets where the traps had been.

His heart beat a little harder but he still didn't feel any relief. It could be him, but Jonathan never ran at night. Neither of them did, it was suicide.

 _So who was it?_

* * *

"Has he said anything?" Arlan piped up when the boss came back from the holding cell.

"Nothing important." The man said and tossed the piece of paper he had back on the table with the prisoner's belongings. It was a note from a guy named 'Evan' and he had a feeling that this person would be looking for their captive soon.

"According to that note, they have a doctor in that tower." The boss said and Arlan snatched it up to read.

"Does it say that?"

"They have a dog in a cast, so let's assume a doctor did it and as you all know, we need as many doctors as we can get."

Arlan nodded quickly, "Yes, we know, sir."

The boss looked up to see the sky start to lighten and the city got quiet once again. He looked down at Arlan, "Gather up a team and head into the city, see what you can find."

"You got it, Boss."

He watched the smaller man take off running, gathering up bags and a few men. He glanced at the dark room that the prisoner was holed up in as he passed by again. It was quiet as always, but he knew he wouldn't stay there long. Someone was going to come for him, or he would escape. He knew it was going to happen one way or the another. He could just kill him, but that would more than likely cause more problems than he and his men were able to handle.

So, he took a seat in the shack he called home, watched from the window, and he waited.

* * *

Needless to say, Evan didn't sleep. He paced every hall the hospital had. He sharpened new blades with Marcel, braided Murphy's hair, taught Scotty how to pick a lock, brushed Lucah until she had no more hair to shed, and gave Ryan dirty looks every time he saw him. He couldn't keep still and no one said a word to him hardly for fear of setting him off. Lui handed him his walkie just in case he heard something from the other side while he was out.

It still wasn't daylight so he ran upstairs and sat with David, listened to him talk about theories that involved viruses and how they could attack the brain and how maybe he could create a remedy. Brock joined them a while later once he woke and they talked about soccer and how the governments were probably broadcasting fake games to make it seem like nothing was wrong in Rio. Evan didn't doubt it. It made sense why no one had sent them so much as a care package. It was because no one knew.

He rubbed at his eyes and made his way up to Maria who grinned warmly at him and let him hold her grandson. The boy he delivered before they left his mother lying dead on the floor. He swallowed down the lump in his throat as he cradled the infant in his arms. This boy would never know his mother. Evan sighed when the baby opened his eyes and they were olive green, such a beautiful contrast to his honey-brown skin.

If they didn't make progress, the boy may not even get to know himself.

"What's his name?"

"Oliver."

Evan felt himself smile when Oliver grinned up at him and stuck a hand in the air aimlessly, "That's a beautiful name. Just like your eyes."

Maria watched him. "His father's eyes. Just another person who didn't make it. But Oliver has me and everyone here. He has you and Anjo. He'll never be alone and I thank you for that."

Evan felt the nerves twisting in his gut when he glanced out the window and saw the sky turning a pale purple. He handed the baby back and stepped away. "I have to go. Take care, Nana."

"You, too, my dear. Come see us again soon."

He nodded before he disappeared through the dark doorway, stepping quietly down the empty hallway as everyone still slept.

The elevator felt slower than usual and he was cracking his knuckles trying not to get so worked up. But his gut was telling him to run and to run fast and it made the world around him feel like it was moving in slow motion.

"Come on, come on, come on." He whispered to himself as the elevator reached the lobby. The doors slid open like molasses and he squeezed through before they were even open all the way. He snatched his pack out of Lui's hand that was held out waiting for him, and walked straight out the door that Scott was holding open. Marcel had the gate down and gave him a small salute when he jogged past.

Evan heard it shut behind him and picked up speed until he was running comfortably at a steady sprint. He took the turns he knew so well now, cutting the corners like he'd learned from watching exactly how Jonathan did it. His shoes slid strategically on the dirt beneath his feet as he grabbed a wall to bring him around corners even faster.

God it was so fucking quiet, nothing but the sound of his breathing and his feet beneath him. He had no idea how Jonathan did this alone for so long. But then again, Jonathan liked the quiet. Just thinking about him out there somewhere made his nerves twist even more. It was like the first time he set out into the city alone, minding his own business, trying to catch a glimpse of the lone runner that insisted on spying. The lone runner who called him reckless and pulled him up into a safe house that night, never saying a word as he looked out at the city.

Just thinking about seeing his face for the first time and every other fleeting time after that had an ache settling in his chest.

What if he never saw him again?

* * *

He ran for fifteen minutes before he came to a stop in the middle of the markets where he'd seen Lucah that day. This was where the light had been last night. He looked to his left and through all the small stalls and hanging rags. There was something small swinging and glinting in the sunlight. He made his way through the cluster of crates and on the edge of an awning that was just off the face of a building, he saw his iPod hanging by the earbuds, just barely. It swayed with the breeze and Evan felt his stomach in his throat.

"Shit." He grit his teeth and snatched it down, shoving it in his pack and looking around for something else.

 _Anything._

That's when he saw the scuff marks on the ground just ahead. He tried to see it in his mind. Jonathan must have come off the roof, hit the ground, and run judging by the footprints he kept following. They led him down the alleyway still full of traps. That's when he saw a second pair of footprints. Both sets stopped at an opening just in front of a fence and there it was.

 _Jonathan's walkie._

Evan's fingers shook as he took the one off his hip and blew into it, hearing the static come out of the one on the ground.

The lump in his throat was almost unbearable. "No, no, _please_ no . . ."

He threaded his fingers behind his head, closed his eyes and paced, trying to keep himself calm. But he couldn't the more he thought about Jonathan yelling his name six days ago in this very spot.

"Fuck!" He cried out, hands dropping to his knees and he saw small patches of dark dried blood on the ground right in front of him when he opened his eyes again. He was livid, shaking with anger, but he focused and stood tall once more following the displaced dirt on the ground. Drag marks.

The bastard had dragged him away. But the longer he observed he learned that it was more than one bastard. The further he walked, the more prints he saw until he reached an intersection. The drag marks disappeared and the multiple sets of prints split into three different directions. They were smart, covering their tracks and confusing whoever might've followed. He didn't know which way to go or how many more there were, wherever they had taken him.

But, he had an idea. Through the red he could hardly see past, he had a stupid, reckless idea. But he was always good at being reckless.

* * *

"Evan." Marcel said as he opened the gate, but the Asian didn't even bat an eye. "Evan? Evan! What did you find?"

But still, nothing. He was unresponsive and Marcel could only imagine why. He hadn't found Anjo, but he quite obviously found something else. He was right behind him when he burst through the front door to the tower. Everyone jumped and Marcel was about to reach for him but Evan turned his head and gave him a look that had him retracting his fingers.

They eyeballed Evan when he made his way over to Ryan who was almost sweating in his seat. He looked up at him, feeling the heat in his face as the man stared down at him accusingly.

"Everything ok -" He tried to ask but it was cut short by the sound of a solid object hitting the table in front of him. He looked down at the iPod that Evan let fall on the wood.

Ryan tried to speak, but he was feeling sick all of a sudden, "I don't -"

Evan spoke slowly and it scared Ryan more than it would have if he were yelling. " _That_ is my iPod, that I gave to _him._ Found it hanging from an awning in the middle of the markets. Also found some footprints that led me down an alleyway. The same alley that held the traps that my dog found herself stuck in. Now, imagine my surprise when I found this," Evan tossed Jonathan's walkie on the table and Ryan jumped again, "just lying there on the fucking ground."

Ryan was shaking, "I'm sorry."

"With dried up blood next to it." Evan's voice was rising.

"Evan -"

"And fucking scuff marks on the ground from where they _dragged_ him away!" Evan flipped the table on it's side and Ryan nearly fell over his chair trying to scramble backwards. He backed himself against the wall and Evan grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him up a few inches while he seethed just centimeters from his face. "If you want to live another day here, you better tell someone next time if you think you hear something even remotely suspicious and you better start praying _right_ _fucking_ _now_ that he's not dead. Because if he is . . . you will be, too."

Evan let him go and Ryan slid down the wall to his feet. But he couldn't keep his knees from giving out beneath him and he hit the floor. Scotty was there to lend him a hand once Evan had grabbed his iPod and walkie out of the mess he'd made. Everyone parted like the Red Sea for him, everyone except for Lui who was storming up to him once he heard all the commotion.

"Hold the fuck up." He attempted to halt him but Evan rolled right past him into Marcel's weapon room where he began taking up stock. Marcel squinted, trying to figure out what he was planning. He watched him grab the sharpest, longest machete and loop it through his holster.

"You're going after him." Marcel stated and Evan didn't even blink.

"Why the fuck wouldn't I?" He said and grabbed a new flashlight, a brighter one.

Lui stepped in front on him, "Because if we lose both of you, this entire tower is fucked to Hades and back."

"I'll be making a pit stop first to ensure that doesn't happen." Evan stated rather plainly. "Now move."

Marcel stepped in front of him this time. "Tell us where you're going."

Evan finally caught his eye. "You have one of two options; you can either go with me or you can get _the fuck_ out of my way."

Both Lui and Marcel stood there in silence beside each other before grabbing two empty running bags. "So, what do we need to bring?"

Evan cocked his head to the side. "A lot of light, something sharp, and a few empty duffle bags. Be quick, I'm leaving."

They wasted no time stuffing their bags with L.E.D. flashlights and grabbing hold of Marcel's finest weapons. Evan was almost out the door and they jogged to keep up. He snapped his fingers twice and Lucah was by his side in a flash, trotting beside her owner. They were at the gate when they heard another set of feet running to catch up.

"I'm coming with you. I owe him that much." Ryan slowed once he reached them. Evan never turned around, never stopped.

"You're damn right you do." Evan agreed and worked himself up to a jog. "Let's go, we're wasting daylight."

Lui tightened the strap over his chest to keep it from moving so much. "And where exactly are we going?"

Evan picked up his pace, "The police station."

Marcel could see the steel determination in Evan just by the way he held himself. His shoulders were stiff, his expression hard, and his sense of direction never wavered. It was almost as if he'd absorbed Anjo's entire demeanor. His statements were short and to the point, his instructions were very meticulous and clear. It was like Evan wasn't even there anymore.

It was kind of scary but also kind of sweet in a dark way. Marcel had never seen two people click together so fast before. Even if they fought, bickered, and acted like enemies sometimes. They worked so well together, had learned the other's habits, and they could almost speak without even using words.

He knew he wasn't the only one that noticed, they all did. Deep down he had a feeling that the both of them knew it too. Evan had embraced it, Anjo had run from it. Now that one of them was missing, the other was shut down and losing himself as they searched. Marcel had a feeling Anjo would be acting the exact same way if it were Evan missing instead.

"This way, keep quiet." Evan instructed as they stepped into the destroyed police station. Their feet crunched on broken glass and scattered debris. It was just like Evan remembered it from the first time he and Jonathan had ventured inside for the sole purpose of finding weapons. Only because Jonathan had a feeling there were others out there and he'd been right.

Now they were paying the price for not getting the weapons. Not like it was their fault, they'd tried, but there were an unknown number of walking dead in the dark hallways of the station.

Evan held his breath as he stepped over the rotting bodies that were still there by the door he'd helped Jonathan pry open. He remembered the way the growls had echoed around them, the way Jonathan had grabbed him and pulled him away to safety. Again.

Evan dug out the keys that had always stayed in his pack after that day, finding the right one and turning the lock to the barred door that led them into the dark hall full of cells.

"Lights." He whispered and a multitude of bright, blinding lights illuminated the entire corridor. The dead screamer that Jonathan had killed was still lying there in front of them. They walked past and Evan was waiting for the growls to come but they never did. He didn't like the anticipation, because he knew they had to still be there.

Lucah was right beside him, creeping on her toes, and he paused when he saw the hair stand straight up on her back. She let out a small growl of warning as they reached the end of the hall where it split left and right.

"Evan, what are we here for?" Lui asked quietly when they all came to a stop behind him.

"Guns." He glanced back. "We tried before, but we got run off."

"Should we split up? The armory can't be too far from the front desk. This place isn't very big." Marcel offered and Evan thought for a moment.

"No. If anyone gets trapped you'll need all the help you can get. These things are fast, but are helpless against light. We may not even have to fight any, just hold them off long enough to find what we need." Evan turned back and stepped forward, but he still didn't know which way to go.

"Lucah, where are they?" Evan asked her and she held her ears up tall and heard something they didn't. She showed her teeth and looked to the left down the black hallway.

"Marcel, up front with me. Lui, Ryan stay behind us and keep light shining in that direction so they don't come up on us. Let's go right first, see what we can find. No loud noises." Evan turned right, taking careful steps and following Lucah's lead. If she turned into a room and came right back out, that meant it was clear and they'd go in and search for anything useful.

She led them into a medical bay and filled up one entire bag with supplies and medicine David would be grateful for. As for the other rooms, the didn't offer anything they needed. So they made their way back to the point where they'd turned right.

Evan sighed, watching Lucah put up her defenses again. There were screamers ahead somewhere, waiting. Of course it was the direction they needed to go. He pulled the sharpened machete from his holster and listened to the boys do the same.

"Aim for the head." Was all he said and they moved forward, silently stepping around corners, shining their lights on every dark corner and crevice they could. There were noises coming from all around them, but they couldn't see any sign of movement. They kept going, keeping light on everything as they moved.

They came to what looked like a small headquarters. The hall turned into a four-way intersection, the rooms at the corners were offices with glass windows. Evan could see into most of them. Blood was splattered across one of the windows and it looked relatively new. Lucah put her tail up and Evan stepped carefully towards the door, hearing the guttural growl before he saw it and just as it lunged, he swung. It's blackened blood sprayed across his shirt and neck and he watched as it's body and head fell in two separate directions.

It took a moment, but the adrenaline finally set in and his heart took off. He stepped back out and they were staring at him with wide eyes. That's when he saw the sign hanging at the end of the hall behind them all. That was also when they all heard feral whines and coughs starting to echo around them. They'd woken the horde.

"Pick a hall and shine your light on it. I'll get the weapons. Nobody move." Evan ordered as he walked past them with Lucah. He had the keys ready and he went through ten of them before he found the right one. The lock clicked and he swung the door open, the noises got louder and he walked in on two dazed screamers. He kept his light on them as he ran foward, taking one of their heads off with the machete and piercing the other's skull just as fast. They fell to the floor and he clipped his light to his hat, opening two separate duffle bags. One for ammo, one for the guns.

Lucah kept her eyes on the door while Evan loaded the bags quickly with bullets, silencer attachments, pistols, and shotguns. To say the bags were heavy was an understatement. It was like he had a full grown man dragging from each shoulder but in the moment the adrenaline made it feel like nothing.

"Evan, I'm pretty sure we need to go!" Came Lui's uncertain voice and when Evan stepped into the hall, he knew why. "There's too many!"

Two of the halls were filling up at an alarming rate with screamers who were shying away from the light, but falling over each other, which was pushing them forward. His heart jumped and he handed a bag off to Ryan.

"Go, go!" He yelled and they flinched when the screams pierced their ears all at once. "Lucah, go!"

They took off at a sprint and the hallway seemed to stretch out even longer the faster they ran. Ryan cut right around a corner and past the prison cells, forgetting about the dead screamer lying there. The heaviness of the bag made him hit the ground harder when he tripped on the body. Marcel and Lui jumped over him to keep from following him down and were about to turn around but Evan yelled, "Don't stop!"

He thought that was it. Ryan thought that was how he was going to die, eaten alive because he was so fucking clumsy and useless. Honestly, he wouldn't blame any of them for leaving him there as bait.

Lucah jump and soared gracefully over him and Ryan caught Evan's eye right before the man reached for him and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him and the bag up in one fluid motion and show of strength. Evan shoved him forward and through the barred door that he turned and shut, locking it behind them.

The screamers slammed against it, clawing relentlessly at the runner that was increasing the distance between them. Evan saw sunlight and dropped the bag that now felt like a million pounds. It stirred up dust from where it hit the ground and everyone picked an object to lean against to catch their breath. Everyone except for Evan who was yanking the ammo bag from Ryan and unzipping the other one, loading a magazine and clicking it into place inside of a pistol. He attached a silencer, checked the safety and fit it behind the waistband of his pants.

"Get the rest of this back to the tower." Evan demanded and turned to leave, but Lui stopped him.

"You're not going alone."

"I have Lucah." Evan looked back and pointed to Ryan who had his hands on his knees, puking. "And he can't carry those bags back by himself."

"I can help him." Marcel crossed his arms. "Lui can go with you. You have no idea what you'll find."

Evan shrugged and spun on his heels, not waiting for anymore words to be exchanged. He wasted no time and ran even though his legs were more than tired, feeling like jelly. Lui was right behind him as they stepped over the traps in the alleyway that Evan never wanted to see again. His chest tightened as they came up on the small puddle of blood and scuff marks where the altercation between Jonathan and the unknown third party took place.

Evan pulled a t-shirt out of his pack. A shirt that Jonathan had left hanging on the post of a bunk one day. Evan grabbed it in case he needed an extra one to wear and ended up forgetting about it. He got down on one knee and let Lucah sniff, getting a bead on his scent.

"Find him." He told her and the wind have a slight gust, ruffling their shirts and hair. She took off and Lui gave Evan a hopeful look before they ran after her.

* * *

The sun was dropping and Ryan didn't look any less pale as they sat there in the lobby waiting for someone to come through the gate. His stomach was empty and he couldn't stop thinking about how helpless he was.

"Snap out of it." Murphy clapped her hands in front of his face. "What's done is done."

Ryan shook his head at her, "They wouldn't be out there in this mess if of it weren't for me."

"That's actual bullshit because they took him regardless of whether or not you heard him call for help." She sat down beside him. "And Evan would've flipped his shit no matter when he found out; the moment it happened or five days later."

"What's done is done." Langley repeated her and Ryan gave a weak nod and they continued playing the waiting game as the sky darkened, turning a deep rich orange that only meant terror was just around the corner.

* * *

Evan and Lui kept up silently with Lucah as she followed the scent further into the city, at least two more miles to a place Evan didn't recognize. It was closer to the more modern side of Rio, the high rise buildings, and the ocean. But not quite. They were still in the run-down parts, clothes hanging from lines, blown out lanterns squeaking as they swayed with the breeze.

It was eerie and the hair was standing up on the back of Evan's neck the further they went. This was uncharted territory and he felt vulnerable when Lucah led them into an opening. It was almost like a town square with a small fire pit in the dead center with makeshift benches and seats strewn about. Cooking equipment stood off to the side as if people lived here. But it looked completely deserted. There wasn't a sound to be heard but their own footsteps.

"Lucah." Evan whispered and she put her nose to the ground and led them into the first run down building, sniffing him out. She led them to a table where Evan picked up a pack that was identical to his own. All of Jonathan's things were still in it.

"We're close." Evan threw the bag over his shoulder and pulled the pistol out of his waistband as they moved forward.

He didn't understand why no one was here. Or maybe they were just walking into an ambush, or maybe they had up and left. Did they leave Jonathan behind, kill him, or take him with them? Too many questions and no one to answer them. Lucah whined and seemed confused as to wear to go for a moment. It seemed his scent was all around. That's when Evan looked out of the window and saw something move in the building across the way. It was quick but something was there.

"Stay here and keep looking." Evan whispered and Lui gave him a nod before they separated.

* * *

The boss smirked beneath his hood when they showed up. He knew it was only a matter of time and there they were finally. It was impressive in how fast they were in finding the place. He watched them from his window and saw the stark white creature leading them; the dog. Out of it's cast, he assumed. The trio was running out of time because the sun was dropping and within the hour, they'd have nowhere to go.

The dog got closer, sniffing out the building where the guy was being held and he saw it start to paw at the ground in front of the door. The smaller man fiddled with the lock at the door and looked around for . . .

 _Where was the bigger guy?_

He felt cold metal press against the back of his head through the material of his jacket. He heard a small click of his safety flicking off, heard him breathe. So . . . they had guns. Interesting.

"Where is he?" Evan's voice was cold and unforgiving.

"You know, I have to give it to you. You're pretty bold coming out here, just two people. There could've been a hundred of us."

Evan felt his blood pressure rising when he pressed the gun against him harder. "Does it look like I fucking care?"

"No, it doesn't."

"I'll ask you again. Where is he?"

The hooded figure pulled a key out of his pocket and held it up, waiting until the man snatched it from him. Then he pointed out the window to Lui and Lucah just outside of the tin building trying to pry the lock open.

"Why did you take him? What did you plan to get out of this?" Evan asked the guy.

He shrugged nonchalantly and Evan didn't understand why he was so cool in his current situation. "Information."

"And did you get it?"

"Your friend doesn't speak much, he didn't even give up anything. But I've learned all I need to know. You can have him."

Evan clenched his jaw, trying not to pull the trigger. "I wasn't asking for permission."

"Of course you weren't."

Evan's heart was hammering. "Where are the others? I know there's more of you."

He turned his head slightly, "They're not here."

"So you decided to sit here alone, vulnerable, knowing you'd have no one to help you if I decided to blow your fucking brains out?" Evan asked. He just wanted to understand.

"You wouldn't do it. You know they'd be coming for you when they got back and found me. Same reason I didn't kill your guy down there. Cause and effect. I think we're all smarter than that." The guy chuckled and Evan was losing his patience. He was getting nowhere with this asshole and Jonathan was probably in need of a doctor.

The man crossed him arms, "Either way, we'll be seeing each other soon I'm sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Evan withdrew the gun only to swing it and hit him upside the head, knocking him out cold. He had to prioritize and Jonathan was number one on his list. They could figure out the rest of this mess later. He ran down the creaky stairs and out into the open. He glanced up trying not to worry about how close the sun was to going down. They had time, but not enough to get all the way back.

"I can't get past this lock. I think he's inside." Lui said and ran his hands through his hair.

"Move." Evan took the key in his hand and slipped it in the lock, feeling it click. He unhooked it and tossed it to the ground. Just as he went to pull the door someone shoved it open from the inside and ran out swinging at him with a piece of rusted metal in his hand. Evan hit the ground andju the man fell on top of him before pushing himself up and rearing his fist back preparing to punch him. But when he saw his face, he let his arm drop.

"Evan?"

Evan stared up at Jonathan, breathless because he looked like a fucking zombie. He had dark circles beneath his eyes and he was covered in dirt and dried blood.

"Holy shit, dude." Evan said and looked him up and down. "Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"

Jonathan was losing what strength he had left and he felt his arms shaking from holding himself up. "I don't know. Everything's moving too fast."

"Lui." Evan called and he handed him a bottle of water.

"Here, sit down." They helped Jonathan to his side where he could hardly keep himself up. Evan pressed the bottle to his lips and held his head up for him while he drank. "Slow down and breathe, please."

Jonathan took a deep breath and felt even more lightheaded, but he was more than relieved to see familiar faces. He leaned too far and ended up pressed against Evan's chest where he could hear his heartbeat. It sounded like a drum. "Never thought I'd say this . . . but I'm actually _really_ glad to see you."

Evan huffed and shook his head, looking up at Lui, "He's gotta be half dead before he admits he misses me."

Lui grinned but it fell with the light that was getting faint. They didn't have long. "Think you can walk?"

Jonathan closed his eyes and he could've fell asleep right there against Evan, but he shook him awake. "Hey, stay awake man. We gotta get you home first."

Lucah gave him a wet luck and tugged at his shirt. Jonathan have a weak smile and groaned when Evan stood and tried to pull him to his feet. The ache in his side had only intensified and it was so hard to breathe. Deep breaths did nothing but make it worse. Lui placed himself beneath his other arm and they walked with him. His feet were still working but it was a slow journey back.

Evan gave Lui a look and they knew they wouldn't make it back in time. They made it about a mile before Jonathan's legs gave out on him. Evan picked him up and carried him over his shoulder for another mile until he saw something familiar in the dark streets.

A familiar intersection, old skid marks from tires, an old puddle of blood, and a decrepit screamer body lying in the street.

"In there." He pointed to the convenience store and Lui ran ahead to hold the door open while Evan hauled Jonathan forward into the building. The same building they'd spent that first apocalyptic night together. Evan found a wall in the back of the store and sagged against it while Lui barricaded the entrance. He slid to the floor and pulled Jonathan back against his chest and held him there and let every thing sink in while he caught his breath.

He thought about that night and being in Jonathan's shoes. He pictured him dragging him inside and taking care of a complete stranger while the world went to shit outside. Evan thought about how far they'd come, how they went from not knowing who the other was, to being saviors of the tower together, to sleeping in the same room, and eating side by side. He thought about how he'd never be able to thank him enough for saving his life. Evan looked down at him passed out against him, head tilted back on his shoulder as his fingers twitched every so often against his leg. He'd try to thank him by saving his life in return.

There was nothing to stop him from closing his eyes and falling asleep, not Lui offering him some chips he'd found, not Lucah who licked his face before settling beside him, not even the screamers as they yelled like demons running past the windows.

* * *

"Do you think they're dead?" Ryan sat there in the small server room with the two techies because he couldn't take looking at the front doors anymore, waiting for people that may not ever come back.

"Probably." One of them said and the color drained from Ryan's face again.

"Craig! You are the fucking worst at reassuring people about anything." Bryce rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Ryan, I'm sure they're fine and they'll be here when the sun comes up. They probably had to hole up somewhere for the night. Really, I wouldn't worry about. Evan is a very capable man and Lui is too. Just take a deep breath and relax."

Bryce slowly smiled while Ryan breathed in deep and exhaled, sinking back into his chair. "Good. See? Every thing is okay."

"Thanks, man." Ryan finally cracked a grin.

Craig rolled his eyes and went back to fiddling with the still broken satellite phone that was in pieces on the table in front of him. "That's so sweet, why don't you two go do some yoga now and drink green tea."

Ryan's mood deteriorated again and Bryce glared at his friend and spoke sarcastically. "That's actually a really great idea, Craig. Come on, Ryan, let's go stretch our legs. I get so cramped up in here being with this asshat all day."

Ryan followed him out of the room gratefully. When he'd taken a liking to Bryce, he didn't know. All he knew was that the man was tall, nice, and sympathetic to his worries. He was sweet and Craig was his polar opposite, a complete douche bag who didn't give two shits about anything other than getting a radio frequency working so they could contact someone on the outside. But he kind of understood why he was so grouchy. It had been months and nothing they'd tried had worked. So now it was just experiment after experiment.

Ryan understood, but he couldn't help but think he should've stayed on laundry duty and never got tangled up in a mess too big for him to even hope to clean up. He just felt sick.

Bryce nudged his shoulder when they found a quiet corner in the cafeteria. "What makes you feel better?"

Ryan pulled his jacket around him tighter and shrugged shyly. "Stories."

Bryce lit up and Ryan immediately felt better from his bright smile. "Well, let me tell you. I'm a five star story teller and you, my friend, are in for a treat."

* * *

Evan was asleep and feeling numb when he was shaken awake by gentle hands and a kind voice. "Hey. Evan, wake up. Come on, dude. Pry those suckers open."

He peeked an eye open and Lui laughed, "Jesus, you were in deep. Been trying to wake you for ten minutes. Sun's up, we should head back."

Evan had no energy, he barely had enough to move Jonathan's limp body off of him. Lui helped lay him out on the floor, then helped Evan to his feet. The Asian rubbed hard at his eyes.

"Give me a minute." He mumbled and dragged his feet toward the refrigerators where he found a room temperature energy drink and chugged it all in one go. It buzzed in his head while he stretched his arms and legs and cracked his neck.

"How about I carry him as long as I can and then you take him? I know you're exhausted." Lui suggested and Evan was smart enough to agree with him. He helped him up and on to Lui's shoulder, then got the front doors open. They set out into the early morning sun and the quiet streets, moving carefully and slowly with Jonathan in tow.

Evan's chest was hurting. He hadn't eaten in two days and last night was the only decent sleep he'd had all week. If he felt like shit, he could only imagine what Jonathan felt like. That made his chest hurt even more knowing he wasn't okay in the slightest. He looked in pain even when he was passed out.

They made it a third of the way there walking before Lui gave in. "Alright, take him."

Evan shook his arms out before he picked him up, carrying him bridal style. He didn't look so bad that way. Jonathan's arm hung down, swinging uselessly while his head was laying against his chest. Evan fought past the lack of energy and forced one foot in front of the other when Lui ran ahead to get the gate down in the distance. It looked so far away.

Evan drew in a deep breath and felt his legs shake beneath him. He stopped for a moment and looked down, meeting bright blue tired eyes. Jonathan tried to speak but Evan shook his head. "Don't talk. I've got you. We're almost there."

He readjusted him and focused on not falling flat on his ass. Evan grit his teeth and walked. He walked until he was past the gate and moving into the lobby where everyone's eyes were on them. But he couldn't hear any of their shocked response as he walked straight to the open elevator with Lui and Marcel right behind him. He felt hands on his back holding him up and when the doors opened again, Brock was there waiting to take Jonathan when Evan couldn't stand on his own feet anymore. He fell to his knees, vision fading slowly as Brock moved further away, carrying one of the most important things he'd ever had in his life.

* * *

Evan didn't remember his face hitting the floor. But he woke with a bruised cheek and an IV in his arm. It was dark in the room and the only thing he could make out was the light coming through the crack in the door. The ache that ran through his body was ridiculous but he swung his legs over the side of the bed anyway until he was on his feet. He carefully pulled the needle from his arm that he guessed was just fluids and headed for the door.

The hallway was empty and silent. His feet clicked on the cold floor just like they did the day he woke up confused after being under for an entire month. The rooms were all empty except for one. The door was left open and he saw two bright eyes flash from the florescent light in the hall. He stepped into the room, hearing the steady beeping of a heart monitor and the calm breathing of the man under the sheets.

Evan walked in with a grin when Lucah lifted her head and wagged her tail from where she was laying beside Jonathan's legs. Evan gave her head a light reassuring pat and she settled, resting on Jonathan's shin once more.

There was very little light in the room. It was dim, coming from a small plug in on the wall to cut down on power consumption. Evan pulled a chair up close to his bed and watched him sleep. The light cast shadows across his exhausted face. The hair on his face had grown again and he was scruffy, dirty, and a little worse for wear. It was sad how pretty he was because he had no idea.

Jonathan had no clue at all that Evan would rather watch the sun rise and set in his eyes than watch it at all. Because in those moments before the day began and just as it ended, those moments when they were together, he saw him for who he truly was. In those moments, he saw Jonathan underneath the stone wall he surrounded himself with. He could see him soften when he witnessed the sky change colors and the wind blow across his face. It was like he was an ever changing piece of art, constantly rebuilding his defenses and unconsciously letting Evan tear them down over and over again.

Evan leaned on his own hand, eyeing the runner, just making sure he was really there and not a figment of his hopeless imagination. He stared until he couldn't hold his eyes open anymore and he fell asleep knowing he'd have a pinch in his neck. But he didn't care. He wasn't leaving the room.

He dreamed of a rare bubbly laugh that he'd only ever heard once. It was a sound he'd love to hear again. Such a pretty noise that came from such a beautiful mouth.

When he opened his eyes he saw the morning light reflecting in Jonathan's as he laid there looking at him through heavy half-open eyes. The ache in Evan's chest swelled when Jonathan cracked a small, sweet grin and said, "Hey, Cat-man."

Evan shook his head and smiled, "You're high."

"As a fucking kite." Jonathan giggled and it was the cutest thing Evan had ever heard. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Evan looked down at his hands to find them restless and nervous. He took a deep breath and met his eyes again, "I thought you were gone."

Jonathan wanted to laugh with the drugs in his system but he couldn't, not when Evan looked like he was hurt. "I'm right here."

"Just the thought of you being dead . . . I've never been so scared in my life." Evan gave a small laugh. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You probably won't remember it and you more than likely don't care."

"I care." Jonathan said quietly and distractedly as he pet Lucah when she nudged his hand seeking attention. He finally looked over at him and Evan's expression was unreadable. Jonathan grinned again, "Besides, even if I _was_ dead, you wouldn't let me stay that way. You'd probably bring me back to life just to tell me some stupid random fact about Cheetos or tell me how long the Great Wall of China is."

Evan snorted on a laugh and let his elbows rest on the edge of the bed while Jonathan watched him with a crooked smile. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while until Jonathan turned his head and chewed at his lip, trying not to laugh when he asked, "So, how long is it?"

Evan smiled so fucking wide and said, "13,171 miles."

Jonathan threw his head back and laughed, trying to speak at the same time which made him laugh even harder, "You would . . . know that off the top of your . . . head! What a fucking nerd."

Evan laughed until he was crying and they didn't even see Murphy or Langley standing outside the door listening. "And hot Cheetos were invented by a janitor."

Jonathan couldn't breathe, "Stop! Fuck, it hurts."

He gasped for air until he was calm again, still letting out the occasional giggle when he thought about it. His side was throbbing now but he didn't care. He was too high on pain meds to even feel most of it.

"I'm sorry." Evan chuckled and watched him rub at the deep black bruise on his ribcage. "I'll leave, you need to rest."

Jonathan sighed, "But I'm hungry, dude."

"I'll go get you some food. Then you need to rest. Deal?" Evan bargained with the man.

"Okay, Mom." Jonathan rubbed at his head. "Just hurry up or I'll eat your dog."

Evan grinned to himself and his head was buzzing with a high that had nothing to do with drugs. He was in a daze, a smile stuck on his face as he rifled through the mess hall for Jonathan's favorite tomato soup, snatching up some crackers to go with it. He didn't even notice the two girls watching him suspiciously as he passed by without acknowledging them for the second time. All he could think about was that laugh. It was so rich and pure and it set off the butterflies in his gut. Just that fleeting image of Jonathan tossing his head back, showing his wide smile, the curve of his neck. The corners of his eyes had crinkled and it made Evan feel warm on the inside.

He leaned against the elevator as it took him back down, swaying with it as it came to a stop. Evan sighed and hesitated for just a split second when the doors opened, but he knew it was useless trying to will away what he felt. He squared his shoulders and walked back down the long white hallway to the room that was occupied by the guy he was falling uncontrollably in love with.


	7. Chapter 7

Song: Twenty-One Pilots - HeavyDirtySoul

* * *

Jonathan was dreaming. The only reason he knew was because Tyler was waving in the distance and his soul felt free for once. His dreams had been altering ever so slowly the past few weeks. Tyler was getting farther away and Evan was so much closer than he'd like him to be, but he couldn't push him away. He didn't really know if he wanted to anymore, it was a useless fight.

He could see his tall blue-eyed friend in the distance waving still, smiling, disappearing. Jonathan's heart felt heavy. The weight on his chest was suddenly overwhelming and he heard himself calling out for him as he faded with the crowd in between them. The air in his lungs left him in a scream and he couldn't catch it after that.

Jonathan ran, heaving heavy breaths, fighting back the dread and guilt that engulfed him. But he was drowning in it. Evan stepped into view and reached a hand out that Jonathan hesitated to take, but when he did a calm washed over him.

He woke up.

Lucah was half laying on his chest and he was still breathing a little heavy as he reached up to reassure her frantic licks to his face. He didn't quite know when she taken a liking to him, but every day he'd woke up in the hospital bed for the past week, she'd been there to keep him company.

"I'm okay, girl." He said with a hoarseness on the edge of his tired voice.

"Are you?" Evan asked from the chair in the corner of the dark room. "You didn't sound okay just a minute ago."

Jonathan rolled his head lazily. "It was just a dream."

"I know." He remarked quietly. "But you say his name a lot when you sleep. Even before all of this. Sleeping up in a safe house, you'd mumble, twitch in your sleep. I don't know how you'd get up and run everyday because it always seems like you're running in your dreams."

Jonathan could still feel the lingering drugs in his system when he let more words roll off his tongue. "It's different now."

"How?" Evan had his head propped up on his hand and he was observing him by the pale light coming through the window. "What's changed?"

Jonathan ran his fingers through Lucah's platinum fur and thought about it. "He's getting farther away. It scares me."

"You're afraid you're going to forget him." Evan stated and Jonathan flicked his gaze to his corner.

"Yeah."

"You won't." Evan stood and moved toward the bed, sitting on the edge and giving Lucah a pat. "Just like I'll never forget my dad, or the pet squirrel I had when I was ten. Tyler will always be there."

Jonathan watched Evan place one of his heavy hands on his chest. He felt his warmth spread over him just like in his dream and he bit back the urge to grab his fingers.

"He'll always be here." Evan whispered and he could feel Jonathan's strong heart beating beneath his fingers.

He stared up at Evan with a set of eyes that didn't belong in this world nor did they deserve to look so fucking troubled. Jonathan swallowed, "You know . . . . you're kind of turning into the kind of friend Tyler was to me."

Evan looked down at him, amused. He had to still be high. "Oh yeah? What kind of friend was he? A good one, I imagine."

Jonathan shook his head, "No."

Evan let his eyebrows rise up in fake shock, "A bad one? Come on, man. I thought we were better than that."

"He was the best."

Evan's heart did the thing where it literally felt like it had flopped over in his chest and began a beat that was faster than the speed of light. He felt the smile spread across his face and for a second Jonathan almost smiled too, but something made it go away. It was a typical thing for the runner to do. To admit something that personal and then bottle it back up seconds later. Just like he'd done when he admitted he considered him a friend and not just a guy he was letting tag along. He acted like he didn't care, like he didn't feel strongly about anything other than making sure the people in the tower survived. But Evan knew better.

"I fucking told you so didn't I?" Evan said and laughed when Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I told you that one day you'd be calling me your best friend and wondering what life was like without me."

"Oh my God." Jonathan groaned and shoved Evan's hand away then proceeded to flip him off.

Evan stood, a giggle still on his lips as the sky began to lighten outside. He leaned over him and smirked, "Why don't you give your bff a good luck kiss?"

Jonathan pushed at his face when he got too close, "How about you fuck off?"

But Evan persisted and Lucah joined the struggle. Evan laughed when Jonathan turned his head away as far as it would go. "NOOO!"

"Lucah, give him sugar! Give him nasty wet kisses!" And she did, licking his face from top to bottom as Jonathan started to laugh beneath her.

"Okay! Okay!" He chuckled and caught his breath after Evan pulled her back. "Jesus. My face is sticky now, you fuck."

Evan shrugged, "Yeah, well you should've let me kiss you instead, then you wouldn't be covered in dog breath."

"No, I'll take the dog breath, thanks." Jonathan sat up in the bed carefully and cut his lamp on, squinting in the light.

Evan moved toward the door. "I've got to get going, the sun's almost up. I might stay out there overnight, I don't know yet."

"Please do."

"Tired of me already?" Evan crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"Always." Jonathan said and he added a small grin because he didn't mean it. Evan gave him a subtle smile in return.

"I'll be back later."

Before he walked out Jonathan asked, "You're not taking her with you?"

Evan glanced at Lucah lying comfortably in Jonathan's lap. "No. I don't think she minds keeping you company."

"I'm fine being alone."

"I know." Evan nodded. "But I don't want you to be. So she's staying right here."

Jonathan stared at him for a moment and tried not to let himself drown in how good those words felt or how warm the brown of Evan's eyes were. He licked his lips and took a breath. "I'm not gonna kiss you good luck, but be careful out there."

"Will do. Let me know if you change your mind and you ever want something other than dog breath." Evan gave him a cheesy wink and left the room, not giving the man time to retaliate.

Jonathan listened to his footsteps fade then looked down at Lucah and grabbed her face like a person. "Why is your dad so goddamn frustrating?"

She blew a quick puff of air out of her nose. It was almost like she was trying to laugh.

* * *

Scotty was slid up nice and close to his partner, laughing hard at something Marcel had said as Evan made his way off the elevator. Langley and Murphy were constructing some odd looking contraption out of metal and duct tape. It looked like a pressure trap and he didn't have the nerve to ask either of them how they had learned how to make it. One of the techies had been down in the lobby more often than not sitting with Ryan. The skiddish man always caught his eye and then looked away just as fast. Evan wanted to fix that.

He approached him and Bryce was the first to speak, giving him a wide smile. The guy was way too cheerful to be living in a zombie apocolypse. "Hey, Evan. How's Anjo doing?"

"He's better." Evan cocked his head to the side. "Ryan."

The man looked up at him and Evan could almost see the fear rising behind his eyes. He didn't blame him. Evan knew he'd been hard on him. "I want to apologize for being such an asshole to you. I know you didn't mean to do what you did and you couldn't have known that it was him that you heard on the walkie that day. You plucked up the courage to help even though I know you were scared out of your mind. I respect that."

Ryan just blinked, his mouth hung open slightly and Bryce had to nudge him to get him to speak. He cleared his throat. "I - thank you. Evan. I'm sorry about everything and I -"

Evan held up his hand and stopped him, "It's fine. We're good. Okay?"

Ryan nodded quickly, "Yeah. Okay."

The Asian turned and found Lui in a room to himself writing diligently on a piece of paper. Evan chewed at his lip as he waited by the door. "Please don't tell me that's my list."

Lui wrote down one final thing and stood, rereading it before he walked over and pressed the paper against Evan's chest. Lui grinned up at him, "It's your list."

Evan's head fell back and he whined, "Fuuuuuck. How did he do all of this by himself?"

Lui chuckled, "I have no idea. But now I don't know how he'd ever do it without you."

A grin was pulling at his lips. Just a little bit longer and Jonathan would be by his side again and they could figure this all out together.

Evan unfolded the list of supplies in his hand and looked it over. It was fucking outrageous but he understood that they had an infant that needed formula now and David was running out of the hospital's maternity supply. That took priority even more so than the threat of other people out in the city trying to get a cut of their stash.

Evan found his resolve again and pocketed the list. He checked the pistol on his hip, made sure his knives were sharp, and his bag was packed. Then he was out the front door and into the heat.

Because Jonathan was recovering, Oliver needed to eat, and everyone else was depending on him to run until the sun fell.

* * *

Jonathan watched from the window as Evan ran across the city, steering clear of the Southside markets for good reason. They didn't know who could be watching and waiting. He still didn't understand what they were hoping to get out of him. Evan told him the guy had been alone and that he handed him the key like it was nothing. But he also said that he'd gotten all the information he needed.

Jonathan didn't remember giving away a goddamn thing. So what else could they possibly want?

More questions with no answers. There was something that kept pulling at his chest the further away Evan got so Jonathan turned away. It got worse and he knew what he needed to do. He needed to get back out there.

He needed to run.

So he pulled himself into the hallway where he took slow steps with Lucah by his side. He moved until he was walking easily. The next day he tried to jog back and forth down the hall until the ache in his side had worked itself out. The muscles in his arms were tired but he pulled himself up using the doorway as a bar, building his strength again.

The next day, he was running up and down the stairs, dodging David and his hand that tried to smack him on the head as he yelled at him to rest. But he couldn't rest, not when there were people there that needed protecting from an unknown enemy with unknown intentions. He couldn't when Evan was out there running alone.

Langley had his clothes cleaned and his mask restored to it's former glory. She placed it all at the end of his bed in the quiet room and stood beside him as he watched the world from the window.

"I'm glad you're back." She smirked up at him when he looked over. "He was a fucking mess while you were gone and we all thought he was going to strangle Ryan when he told us he'd heard you call for help."

"Don't."

Langley wormed her way under his arm and wrapped her small hands around his waist and Jonathan loved how obnoxious she could be. She reminded him of his sisters and it made him miss them even more than he already did. "He flipped his shit. Like, it was so cute. Scary, but cute."

"Stop." Jonathan huffed and threw his arm around around her neck and pulled her to his chest in a loose headlock.

She laughed, "Evan has some serious feelings for you."

"He was just doing what he had to."

"He ran after you because he cares about you." She craned her neck up at him and he loosened his grip. She smiled when he didn't respond and reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind his ear. It had grown a considerable amount since the last time she'd cut it. "You know you care about him too."

He glanced out the window and sighed. Of course he cared, but he didn't want to. That was his rule, don't care and you don't get hurt. But here he was with Langley pulled against him like the pushy protective sister she had grown to be. There he was, every muscle in his body aching to be running beside that Asian again, to make sure he was staying alive and well and still cracking stupid jokes. There he was, caring more about these people that he considered family now than he ever planned to.

"How about we change the subject and you cut my hair instead?" He finally replied and gave her a grin that she returned.

"Alright." She pulled back. "Let me go clear the showers for you so you can be alone, then I'll cut that mop on your head."

"Thank you."

She walked out into the hall and said loudly so it echoed, "You're welcome. I'll let you stay in denial for now."

"You're almost as bad as he is." He called back and heard her giggle to herself.

* * *

Evan was gone for a week, but the drop zones stayed filled to the brim with full duffle bags and powdered baby formula. He was running, pushing himself to the limit so they didn't fall behind on supplies. They would still be good for a month or two if they suddenly had to stop running for whatever reason.

But they had to keep going. There was no reason for them to get behind. So he ran, staying out until the last drop of sunlight was gone and the screamers forced him to higher ground. Even then he kept going on the rooftops in the dark, searching the higher levels of the favela. It was paying off and he'd found a countless number of items, a plethora of canned food from a house that seemed to be hoarding them. It took him four trips, a few scrapes to his forearm, and eight heavy bags to get it all back. That put them ahead another month at least.

It was another clear sky night as he ran back towards the tower. He climbed up to the safe house that was just outside the gate and he pulled his shirt off, rubbing at the sore spots in the dips of his shoulders from carrying so many bags for so long. He was tired and he didn't remember falling asleep, but he woke up to the early sun and a silhouette standing in front of the window.

"Good morning, Princess."

Evan smiled while he rubbed at his eyes. "It's good to hear your voice, dude. This whole running alone in complete silence thing really isn't my style."

"I know. You probably developed multiple personalities to keep yourself company." Jonathan smirked. "But I hope that's not the case, because one of you is more than enough."

Evan sat up stiffly, trying to hide his pain. "But think of all the jokes I'd have."

"Exactly." Jonathan cracked a grin but it fell when he saw the skin that had been rubbed raw on Evan's shoulders.

"Are you ready to run?" Evan pulled his shoes on and was about to put his shirt back on until a hand stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere except back to the tower." Jonathan pulled his mask over his face and hopped out the window, leaving Evan no choice but to follow.

He grabbed his pack and climbed down after him, jogging to keep up once he was on the ground. "We need to keep going. Once we start running out of places to look here, we'll have to start moving out into the city day by day and that's gonna take time."

Jonathan slowed to a walk and let him catch up as they entered the gate. "Evan, you're tired and yes, I get what you're saying. I've been thinking about it for weeks and we'll have to come up with a plan. But you need sleep, you've got bags under your eyes. Everyone here can afford for us to stay in another day."

Evan wanted to argue as usual. "Yeah, but . . ."

Jonathan held the door open for him. "No. We'll talk about it after you get a shower, eat, and get more sleep. So keep your mouth shut for once and go."

Evan smirked at him, "I see you missed bossing me around."

"Go." Jonathan pushed at his back as he passed him. Evan stumbled slightly into the lobby, giggling.

"Your hair looks good by the way, just saying." Evan gave him a wink before he pressed the button that closed the door on the elevator.

Jonathan rolled his eyes and smiled beneath his mask and he was thankful it hid his emotion because everyone was staring at him, smirking.

He glanced around and crossed his arms. "What?"

Murphy snorted. "Oh nothing. Nice to see you two getting along so well."

"It's . . . he's . . . more tolerable that he used to be." Jonathan shrugged and bristled at the smug grin on everyone's face, even Bryce's. Jonathan huffed and stormed off toward the elevator when it reached the ground floor again. "Shut up. All of you."

Marcel smiled wide, "Nobody said anything!"

Lui cracked up when Jonathan flipped them off like a child and shut the metal doors. "I knew he was going to like him eventually."

"Yeah." Scotty chuckled against Marcel's shoulder. "I gotta admit, it's a little relieving to see them getting so close to each other. I never thought Anjo would let him."

"I think it's sweet." Murphy rummaged through a duffle. "He cares about him or he wouldn't have made him come back in for some rest. A few months back, he would've let him run until he dropped, just out of spite."

* * *

Jonathan waited a few hours until he knew Evan was asleep and not able to pester him. He waited and then he helped everyone move all of the newly acquired guns and ammo up to the next floor with their bunks. They stashed a few in the lobby in case of an emergency and took the rest upstairs.

"Someone could bust up in here and take all we have if we aren't careful. So move it all up." He'd said and no one argued. They never did.

He didn't know how he felt about having so many guns at their disposal now. But he knew he trusted every man and woman that called themselves a defender. So he put his thoughts to rest and took the elevator up and found himself some lunch to eat.

His meals were usually silent, but that had all changed when Evan came along. But Evan wasn't here and Jonathan was starting to grow a distaste for the empty air around him. The quiet crept in and his fork echoed each time it hit his plate. It only angered him to know that it was Evan's fault that he couldn't take the peace and silence for too long before he needed to hear a stupid pointless story or a completely ridiculous joke that wasn't funny in the slightest.

Evan made it funny.

Jonathan slammed his utensil down on the table and if it wasn't quiet in the mess hall before it was now. He was in a corner with his back to everyone so they couldn't pry at his face. It didn't mean he couldn't feel their eyes on him nonetheless.

He pulled his mask up, cleaned his dishes, replaced them, and then almost stepped on the same child that always ran up to him when a certain woman wanted to see him.

The young boy beamed up at him, "Hi! Nana Maria wants to see you! Come on!"

Jonathan let the boy grab his hand and lead him along through the small groups of people that still shied away just a little when be passed. They had opened up a lot more because of Evan.

Everything was because of Evan.

Jonathan sighed and followed the boy into the room full of children that kept themselves occupied with chalkboards, coloring books, and the rescue cat he and Evan had given them before.

"Nana." He greeted her and she gave him a warm smile as she cradled a small bundle of blankets in her arms.

"Come closer."

He stepped toward her and he really didn't want to hold the child that he hadn't seen since the day they saved him, but Maria was persistent and held the baby out to him. Jonathan held him in his arms and looked into his eyes that wandered. So green and full of life and it hurt knowing this boy may never grow up, or live in a normal world. He was so pure, too innocent to grow up in such a place.

"He's beautiful." Jonathan whispered and Maria nodded, watching him with knowing eyes. "He doesn't deserve to live in a world so cruel."

"No." She agreed. "But Oliver does deserve to have a protector like you."

Jonathan held his head up and he didn't know what to say. He looked back down at the infant and decided it was best that he handed him back. He wasn't the greatest with kids. Maria handled him gently and she gave Jonathan a warm squeeze on his hand.

"You're doing much better, my dear."

"What do you mean?"

"You're doing much better at letting people in. At showing that you really care. These people have looked up to you since the beginning and now you've begun to accept it. I can see it in your eyes." She grinned up at him. "Am I wrong?"

Jonathan opened his mouth, but he hesitated with what he really wanted to say. "No, you're not wrong. But I don't know why. The last thing I wanted was to get too involved."

"I think you do know why."

Yeah, he had an idea. But he wouldn't say it.

They didn't exchange anymore words. Maria went back to rocking her grandson and Jonathan left the room with a handful of coloring pages the kids had given him as a gift. His legs carried him to the elevator and down to the second floor where he took silent steps into the room where Evan was sound asleep, exhausted and breathing deep.

Jonathan took a seat on the bunk across from him and wondered. He thought about how he was going to give Evan his gratitude for finally getting the weapons they'd failed to retrieve the first time. He didn't want to use them, but now they knew there were others out there who were possibly after their supplies.

He didn't know how to thank Evan for finding him, for saving his life, carrying him all the way home, for not giving up. How did he thank him for staying in the hospital room with him until he woke up? For telling him that he was so worried and scared that he was gone for good?

How did he thank him for being a friend when he didn't want him to be?

How did he push him away when he was already past the point of no return?

Jonathan sighed and rubbed at his sore eyes before he gave up and laid down, almost immediately falling into a restful sleep. It was rare that he slept so soundly and didn't have the same dream he usually did. This dream was peaceful, just him running over rooftops with the smell of the ocean in his nose and a breeze on his face, a familiar laugh flowing around him.

* * *

"So, how's it going Oh Intelligent One?" Langley burst through the door to the techie's room where Craig was sitting there still working with delicate wires with Bryce hovering over his shoulder.

Criag jumped when the door hit the wall. "Jesus fucking Christ, woman! Do you have any idea how fragile this is?!"

She gave a smug grin and shrugged, "I have no fucking idea, that's why I asked how it was going. So, how's it going?"

"It'd be going a lot better if you'd stop busting in here pestering the fuck out of me while I work!" Craig fumed and Langley just smiled even wider. It was borderline menacing.

Bryce held his hands up, "Guys, calm down. Can't we all just get along?"

"No." The other two remarked at the same time.

Langley stopped Bryce from speaking again. "You, my tall beautiful friend are a literal cinnamon roll and shouldn't be subjected to working with that cockwad over there."

"I volunteered."

"Ball of sunshine." Langley blinked, unmoved. "Too pure for this world."

"Can you guys please just get along until we figure this satellite phone out?" Bryce pleaded, his hands clapped together in fake prayer.

"I will never get along with a man who thinks all Asians are Chinese by default."

Criag audibly rolled his eyes. "Murphy still hasn't got over that?"

Langley stepped closer, a large flame in her eyes. "You told her to go back to China, you racist moldy fuck-cheese."

Bryce grabbed her by the shoulders. "Langley. Sweet, sweet Langley. He was totally ignorant to say that and I'm sure he knows and won't admit it, but is this really the most important thing at the moment?"

"I got it!" Craig yelled and stood, throwing his hand in the air, victorious. "I did it, holy fucking hell."

"Does it work?" Langley raised a skeptical brow.

"Not entirely. The transmitter is irreparable but all we'd have to do is climb up the nearest cell tower, do some more wiring and send out a signal that way. Whatever satellite is overhead should get any message we send and relay it to the nearest land-based link. Hopefully that will be outside of Rio and hopefully someone is listening." Craig sat back down and admired his work. He had to pull apart thirty radios for the right wires that were so tiny you could barely see them. He had to pick apart small circuit boards, patch weld and nearly singed his eyebrows off to pull this all together. Craig was proud.

"I'll let Anjo know that you fixed it but didn't really fix it." Langley turned for the door. "Good job, asshole. I mean that in the nicest way possible."

Bryce grinned down at him when Craig looked up at him incredulously. "It's an improvement, think of it that way."

"Yes. You're right. Going from a fuck-cheese to an asshole is a wonderful improvement." Craig muttered sarcastically and went back to piecing the phone back together securely, making sure it would stay on this time.

* * *

Jonathan woke up feeling better than he had in a very long time. He heard the click of a camera and opened his eyes to see Evan sitting cross-legged in the opposite bunk, grinning at the display on the device in his hand.

"Don't let that become a habit." Jonathan said, his voice a bit hoarse from sleep. He cleared his throat and stretched, hearing another click of the shutter. He glared at the other runner and showed him his middle finger when he went to take another picture.

Evan chuckled, "It will become a habit. This is one of my hobbies. Photography, black and white photography. It gives the picture a deeper feel and meaning. Gives it a story. I've been getting some pictures around the tower, the people, the lobby. You. I want to have evidence of all this. I want to have something to look back on if we ever get out of this."

Jonathan sat up and didn't argue anymore, just looked at the man with tired eyes as he zoomed in and snapped another picture of him sitting there. When Evan lowered the camera Jonathan caught his eye and said, "We will get out of this."

"Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep." Evan wet his lip and smiled at how unamused Jonathan was with his references.

He stood and looked down at the tickled Asian. "Well, don't be such a slacker and maybe I won't have to promise you anything."

Jonathan gave him a playful slap to the side of his face and walked into the hall. He grinned when Evan came running up behind him, ready to fight.

"Hey! I'm not a slacker. I scavenged a fuckload of supplies while you were out of commission, thank you very much." Evan held his nose on the air as he kept pace with him.

"Yeah. You did and I want to thank you for that." Jonathan slowed his walk until he was standing still trying to think of what to say and how not to sound like an idiot. "I want to thank you for everything, actually. For getting the weapons. For finding me and bringing me back. For taking care of everyone when I couldn't. Thank you for being there . . . even when I didn't want you to be."

Evan's mouth was hanging open slightly and he clamped it shut when he realized it was. "Um . . . hold on, let me get something to record this with."

Evan laughed at Jonathan's blank face and his slow blinks of patience. "Okay no, I'm sorry. What I meant to say was, you're very welcome and I'd do it all over again because I care. A lot."

Jonathan finally broke his stare with a nod and started walking again towards the elevator. Evan was quiet as they rode it up, but right before they reached their destination he glanced over just as Jonathan pulled his mask up, he asked him, "Do you remember when you said you couldn't help but like me because I made all of this more tolerable?"

"I remember."

"Do you still mean it?"

"I do."

"Good." Evan walked out as the door opened to the mess hall floor. He walked backwards and hooked Jonathan with a grin. "Because the feeling is definitely mutual."

Jonathan followed him into the cafeteria to the table that held their prepared running bags and he took Evan's, placing the contents inside his own bag. He slung the slightly heavier bag over his shoulder and answered the question on Evan's tongue. "Your shoulders are rubbed raw, don't think I didn't notice. I don't want you carrying anything until they get better. Come on."

Evan stood there in shock for a moment before taking larger steps to catch up to him. "Excuse me, Angel Boy, but who the hell are you?"

"Your friend."

Evan's heart spun in his chest because yeah, Jonathan was changing and he never thought he'd see the day where the man showed genuine concern for the pain his body had been in from running. He never thought he'd see him relax his shoulders, or pull his mask down and grin at something dumb he said. But there Angel Boy was in all his mysterious glory, letting him in slowly but surely.

It made the warmth grow in Evan's chest. It multiplied every time Lucah would jump up and put her paws on Jonathan's stomach until he leaned down and gave her a good pat and a kiss on the head. The warmth reached his fingertips when they were turning in for the night in a safe house and Jonathan pulled a medicated jar of ointment out and made Evan sit so he could apply it to his shoulders. The pressure he applied with his fingers to the still sore and stiff muscles was so good it almost hurt.

"Jesus." Evan muttered and relaxed, going slack as he leaned against the bed frame.

"Better?"

"Yes. You should rub the rest of my body while you're at it." Evan tried to joke but he was too tired and Jonathan's fingers felt too good. He closed his eyes then felt himself falling back on the bed and he heard Jonathan before he drifted off.

"Get some sleep."

* * *

"Hey, you two awake yet?" Langley inquired over the walkie and she heard a reply, covered in light static.

"We're up and running, why?"

"Got some news for ya. Craig got the phone working, but it's gonna take some manual work to send out a signal. Like, climb up a tower and do some wiring shit, manual."

"Alright. We'll come in early and talk about it." Anjo replied and the radio went silent.

"This is a big deal, dude." Evan remarked as they made their way into a shack. "This could be our ticket out."

"Maybe. It's gonna take some thinking through. The nearest communication tower is just outside of the boundary line near the city." Jonathan said mindlessly as they rummaged.

Evan stopped, "Wow. Okay, that idea is out the door then. We'll get shot if we go out there. Plus we have those other guys to keep an eye out for."

"Maybe not. Like I said, we'll discuss it later when we head in." Jonathan ended the conversation and they picked through houses for the rest of the day until the sun started to sink. He still wouldn't let Evan carry anything.

"You're so sweet." Evan grinned over at him, watching the muscles of his arms work with the weight they were carrying. He almost got distracted and tripped but he smoothly stepped up and over the beam in front of him.

"A sore, tired runner is a useless runner. So, I'm just looking out for the both of us." Jonathan kept moving forward and Evan was holding back a laugh as the alleyways darkened around them.

"Man . . . when are you gonna stop lying?" He sprinted forward and started working at opening the gate.

"I'm not lying. If you collapsed from exhaustion and we were being chased by screamers, I'd feel obligated to try and save you. Then I would get eaten, too. So, yeah I'm looking out for you because I'm looking out for me, too."

Evan rolled his eyes and let his head fall back dramatically. "Dude, you said I was like your best friend and now you're refusing to say you're looking out for me because you love me."

"I don't love you."

"Lies."

Jonathan shook his head and moved toward the front doors of the tower with a persistent Evan right behind him.

"Who doesn't love their best friend?"

An old memory flooded Jonathan's mind and he let the bags drop harder than necessary on the lobby floor and he felt his heart knock at his chest.

* * *

 _"Alright, if we eat this and die just know that I love you, dude." Jonathan laughed when Tyler cut his eyes at him._

 _"You better love me." He said seriously but then broke into a cheesy smile that always suited him so well. "I love you, too."_

* * *

"What is it? What did I say?" Evan was asking with a semi-panicked look on his face as they rode the elevator up. Jonathan couldn't remember walking into it, to be honest. All he could think of was Tyler and the worst day of his life.

"Jonathan." Evan was in front of him, inches away speaking quietly. "Hey, I didn't mean to make you think about him, I'm sorry. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Jonathan took a deep breath and caught Evan's hand when he moved to touch him. He blinked, absent. "No. I don't."

He let his hand drop and headed down the hallway with Evan close behind. He heard him sigh in defeat as he followed silently. They made their way into the techie's cramped room where Craig and most of the defenders from downstairs were gathered. Everyone fell silent when they came in. Jonathan made room for Evan and he shut the door behind them. "Tell us everything."

 _Us_.

Evan relaxed, grateful. At least Jonathan didn't try to shut him out entirely this time. But he pushed him away a bit, yet again, per usual. It didn't matter though. Evan always found a way back under his skin. He was getting better at it.

"Well, I fixed the phone but only just. It won't work unless someone manually wires it to a tower and sends a message out that way. The keys don't function either no it needs to be tapped out, Morse code. So it works, but it's gonna require some effort and knowledge." Craig instructed and Murphy was the first to speak.

"Well why don't you do it then? That way if something goes wrong, you won't be missed." She sneered and he cut his eyes at her.

Bryce groaned and let his hands pull at his hair. "Guys! We all need to work together on this! Craig, you called her Chinese. She's not, so man up and apologize. No one here has ever done anything to you to deserve your self-centered attitude."

Langley raised her hand like she was in class. Bryce sighed. "Yes, Langley?"

"Can I knock his teeth into the back of his skull first?" She asked hopefully.

"No."

"Fine." She crossed her arms. "As long as he apologizes."

Everyone's eyes were on Craig and he rolled his eyes and directed them at Murphy. "I'm sorry, alright? I don't mean to be so fucking grumpy and snappy. I just really don't want to be here in this situation and it's taken so god damn long to get that thing working and I'm just really tired and I feel like I've had all this pressure sitting on my shoulders. Everyone has been waiting on me to fix this. What if it doesn't even work?"

"Then we'll find another way." Jonathan stated. "Thank you for all that you've done. It's more than any of us could've. Bryce is right, we all need to work together on this. So, who can wire this thing into a cell tower?"

Bryce raised his hand. "I can do it."

"Who knows Morse code?"

"I do." Ryan spoke up. "My grandfather taught it to me growing up. I've never forgotten."

"Okay." Marcel nodded. "So when do we do this and where is the nearest tower?"

Jonathan glanced over at Evan who gave him an uncertain look but he squared his shoulders and said, "That's the only problem. It's outside of the boundary line."

"What boundary line?" Lui raised and brow at them.

Evan dug inside the pack on Jonathan's back and pulled out his map. He spread it out on the table in the middle of them and they gathered around. The tension settled when everyone saw the red line that had been drawn in a wide uneven half-circle around them. "This is as far as we can go in any direction . . . before we're being shot at by the government. We don't know about the city yet, but we're sure we'll be stopped at some point. They have us quarantined."

The room was quiet and Lui gave a small huff. "So we're really stuck here. What the fuck are we even trying to accomplish if they're just keeping us here like an experiment in a fish tank?"

Marcel cut him a look, "We're trying to survive, you know that. You even said it yourself the first day. You said you had a feeling it was biological warfare. If not that, then a government experiment. You knew we were stuck here the moment it happened. We both knew."

"Yeah, but I'm just now letting it sink in okay? I may be the peacekeeper and the guy that smiles all the time, but I'm terrified, too. I'd love to get out of here one day and see my family again. How do you get out of a place that's being watched by the eye of the government? Government is powerful, if they wanted to bomb the tower and kill us all, they could."

"But they haven't." Marcel tried.

"Why not?" Lui argued. "Have any of you thought about that? Why aren't we dead yet?"

Evan blinked in realization. "They're waiting."

"For what?"

"I don't know. Something." Evan shrugged. "Maybe they're waiting for us to kill each other off, a social experiment. Or they're waiting for the screamers to change, evolve, or die. Maybe they have another agenda, I don't know. All I know is that we can't get out of here until we try. Standing here arguing about why we're here isn't going to get us any closer to getting home. We're here, surviving and that's all we can do until we figure something out."

He could feel all eyes on him, including Jonathan's. "We could just sit here and mope all day about how we're stuck or we could get out there and try to establish contact with someone on the outside."

The room was silent until Scotty cleared his throat. "Well, I'm in. Even if you guys want me stand watch in front of the door with a gun. I'm in. I've got something to live for."

Marcel squeezed his fingers in his hand and grinned over at him. "Yeah, me too."

"You know we're in." Murphy said and nudged Langley with her shoulder. Her friend grinned and gave a nod of agreement.

"We're ready to go when you are." Bryce smiled and Ryan could practically feel the sunshine coming off of him.

"We've all got something to live for." Jonathan stepped toward the table. "So, let's make a plan.

"We're right back to when." Marcel started.

"Night time." Evan said without hesitation and Jonathan backed him up immediately.

"Yes, the screamers come out at night. So why would the military be watching for anyone along the boundary anytime other than the day? Night is best. We'll have cover of darkness. We can head down there when the sun is setting, get ready, wait, and when night falls we move. As long as we move along the rooftops, the screamers will be oblivious."

Evan nodded. "It's not difficult even if we have to run on the ground when it's dark. I've been doing it for the past few weeks when Angel Boy was down for the count. You just have to watch your corners, be quiet, and if it comes down to it . . . be precise."

* * *

It took an hour or two before they had a plan laid out and ready to go. Everyone learned their roles.

"One more time." Jonathan pointed at each of them. "Langley."

"Look-out on the rooftops. Hold a point between the tower and the mission tower. Wait for group to return to point. If no one returns, find a safe house until morning."

"Murphy, Scott."

"Tower guards, front gate."

"Lui."

"Tower guard on the roof. Long range rifle, watch for the unknown third party group while our defenses are thin."

"Marcel."

"Look-out at mission tower, take out any screamers in the area."

"Bryce, Ryan."

"Follow you until we are at the mission tower. Climb to the top, wire it in. Ryan sends the message. We get down, fall back with Marcel. If no Marcel, get to higher ground immediately until Evan or Anjo arrive. If no Evan or Anjo, find a safe house until morning.

Jonathan nodded, satisfied that everyone knew what they were supposed to do. "Good. Alright, let's eat a good meal and get some sleep. Just remember, if you don't know what to do . . . run."

"It's pretty effective." Evan said and broke into a grin when Jonathan gave him the look he always did, like he was an idiot. Then he opened the door and shoved him out into the hall. Evan laughed it off and called the elevator. They took it in two separate groups up to the cafeteria as not to weigh the thing down and possibly break it.

The room was crowded with civilians when they all entered and everyone stopped to stare, forks clinked against bowl and plates, a hush fell over the room. Jonathan ignored it like he always did and eventually the chatter picked back up as they found themselves some food. They took seats at a table in the very back of the room. Jonathan sat with his back to the crowd and he almost pulled his mask down like he was so used to doing when it was just him and Evan. But the entire group was here and not all of them had seen him. Just Evan, Langley, and Murphy.

He was staring at his bowl of tomato soup, watching the steam rising off the surface. When he looked up Evan was sitting across from him, chin resting on his hand as he observed his hesitation. Jonathan narrowed his eyes and Evan cocked his head to the side before he mouthed, "Do it."

Jonathan reached up, stopped for a moment, took a breath and pulled his mask down around his neck. He shut his eyes when he felt everyone else's on him.

"Well . . . I think we all just simultaneously got pregnant." Marcel said plainly and Jonathan burst out laughing with the rest of them, to the point where everyone was wiping their eyes. Everyone but Evan. When Jonathan calmed down he looked over at him again and he was watching him with a look he couldn't pin. He was grinning, observing him like he usually did when he took his mask off. But this was different, almost like he was lost in thought. Jonathan's smile faded and he stared back, catching the way Evan's gaze flickered down to his mouth before he looked up again.

This time Jonathan mouthed, "What?"

Evan smirked and shook his head before he turned his focus to his food, "Nothing."

Jonathan ate his soup, noticing the feeling of Evan's eyes on him anytime he wasn't looking directly at him. Jonathan couldn't help but stare at him, too. There was something off about the way he was acting. He was relatively quiet as everyone told their stories. Evan was never this quiet. The man never said a word as they took a quick shower and found fresh clothes. Jonathan was waiting for him to say something as they fell into a their bunks, but he never did. Not until it was close to midnight and they were both tossing and turning, restless.

Evan sighed loudly. "You said you had something to live for. What is it?"

Jonathan laid there for a minute before he answered. His voice carried in the dark. "An old friend."

They sat there in silence for the longest time, he thought Evan may have fallen asleep. So he added, "And a new one."

Evan stirred but he stayed silent. Jonathan didn't know what the hell was wrong with him or what was bothering him but it was getting irritating. He liked Evan the way he usually was, not this quiet, brooding person that was stuck in his own head and didn't want to talk about it. Jonathan stopped his thoughts in his tracks because he basically described himself and he almost laughed out loud. He bit his finger to keep himself from doing just that. He understood why a chatterbox like Evan got so antsy when he wouldn't speak.

He felt wide awake and he was determined to make Evan come back. "And when I say a new friend, I totally mean Lucah and definitely not you."

Jonathan chuckled when a shirt landed on his face in the dark and he heard Evan give a light laugh, "Asshole."

"What do _you_ have to live for?" Jonathan asked and he heard Evan hum.

"Other than my dog, there's not much." He said softly. "But I really like seeing the sun rise and set. I like to travel and experience new things . . . and I like running with you."

There were a lot of things Evan liked that involved Jonathan. Like his face, his smile. God forbid, his laugh. He liked how selfless he was and how broken his soul had been when he first met him. But he really liked how it seemed to be piecing itself back together again. He liked the way he tried not to smile because it made the dimples show in his cheeks. Jonathan was something to live for, but Evan was too scared to say it out loud. At least not to his face.

Not yet.

* * *

They slept for as long as they could which ended up being a little after ten o'clock. Time dragged by once they were up and moving, waiting on the afternoon. It felt like days as they paced in the lobby and Jonathan groaned when he looked down at his watch only to read twelve o'clock. He ran his hand over his face and called the elevator down, tapping his foot while he waited. The doors opened and he stepped in, holding it and catching Evan's curious eye.

"Are you coming, Princess?"

Evan pushed himself off the floor and jogged to the elevator, Lucah at his heels. The Asian hid the excitement he felt rushing through him. Jonathan knew he would eventually follow him so instead of running and hiding, he decided to make it easy and invite him up with him to begin with. Evan and Lucah followed him down the hall and out onto the rooftops where the sun was beating down on them, but the breeze kept them cool.

Evan finally laid eyes on the colorful mural that was painted on the concrete waist high wall that wrapped around the roof. He'd only ever seen it in the dark so he stood there and admired it's beauty while Jonathan pulled the lid off a bucket and dumped all of his paints on the ground beside him.

"Care to join me?" Jonathan held out a little paintbrush for him and Evan smiled, shaking his head.

"I can't draw or paint for shit. I don't want to ruin your masterpiece." Evan said but he sat down beside him and took the brush anyway.

"It's art. Nothing is perfect. You could draw a stick figure and I wouldn't care." Jonathan shrugged and started mixing colors on a small plate.

It was a colorful mural. One that started out blue on the left end and slowly faded into beautiful purples and pinks, turning more orange and red. It looked like an abstract cityscape filled with crazy designs and graffiti. It was very intricate, much like Jonathan's mind and Evan was definitely in awe of it. To Jonathan's amusement, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Evan painted two little stick figures on the roof of a building. Then he connected their stick hands and giggled to himself.

"There, we're holding hands and we're best friends forever." Evan said in a babyish voice and sat back to admire his work. "Oh! I have to draw Lucah, too."

His impression of Lucah was enough to make Jonathan laugh out loud as he sat there and watched him paint a white circle with ears and a tail. Then he drew a cute smiley face on her and Jonathan was wiping his eyes as he laughed. "Stop!"

"You said it didn't have to be perfect!" Evan laughed.

"She looks like a dust bunny." Jonathan was trying so hard to stop but it wasn't working. He laughed until he was laying back on the ground wheezing and Lucah was attacking his face with her tongue.

Evan just sat there and watched, feeling his heart take off a bit more each time Jonathan let another giggle escape. That entire evening was odd. First he invited him up with him, asked him to join him in painting which was something Jonathan did on his own time to ease his mind, then he was laughing, smiling, loving on his dog and it was so different than what Evan was used to. He opened back up a lot faster than he'd expected after the Tyler incident the day before.

Evan grabbed the camera he always had around his shoulder now and took a picture of them both. Lucah was standing over him licking and Jonathan had his face turned in Evan's direction showing his beautiful smile as he squeezed his eyes shut to avoid slobber.

"Dude, you're in love with my dog."

Jonathan cracked a cautious eye open. "No, your dog's in love with me."

Evan pursed his lips and then laughed. "Yeah, that's true."

But she wasn't the only one.

* * *

"Where are they?" Marcel checked the time again. It was four in the afternoon and they had agreed to leave a few hours early to have plenty of time to get there and wait. But it was twenty after four and Anjo and Evan weren't in the lobby.

"There's the elevator." Lui pointed out and everyone had their eyes on them when they came out giggling to themselves. Evan had red paint smeared on his face and Anjo had blue on his cheekbone. They both had it on their fingers and everyone hid a smile as they passed by oblivious. The boys grabbed their bags and their weapons, Anjo shoved Evan and Evan shoved him back before running out the door.

"What the fuck is going on?" Langley quirked a brow everyone shook their head or shrugged, amused. They grouped up at the gate and stretched out their legs before they opened it and started out at a jog. Lucah took her place beside Murphy and watched them go, a small whine escaped her throat as the gates closed.

* * *

The group jogged for a solid thirty minutes before taking a break and parting ways with Langley who climbed up the nearest fire escape and up to her post on the rooftops as a look-out. "I better see you boys later."

They gave her a collective salute from below and continued on toward the boundary as the sun continued to fall, lighting up the alleyways and street with a deep and vibrant ominous orange glow. It set the mood and everyone was growing uneasy as their footsteps echoed around them in the dead town. The tower and their guaranteed safety was off in the distance now, but they had to do this.

As they neared the line, they split. Marcel took shelter in the building across from them while the other four men ducked into the housing across the street, taking the stairs up a few floors. They were to stay out of sight until night fell and then head up to the rooftops to scan the area and assess the situation. Ryan and Bryce stayed below while Evan and Jonathan ventured up to the higher floors to check for danger as they waited for the sun to drop and the screams to ring out.

"It's all clear." Evan said and took a seat in a random room by a window, watching the sunset. Jonathan sat on the bed and leaned back against the headboard, pulling his mask down, picking mindlessly at the paint beneath his nails with a knife.

Evan stared and he couldn't stop the question. "Are you Hispanic?"

Jonathan's eyes looked up and caught his. "Partially."

"Well." Evan grinned. "That explains your gorgeous . . . _everything_. I bet you have a fun family."

"I did." Jonathan grinned to himself and went back to picking at the paint. "My mom is white and my dad was Hispanic, so you know any holiday on his side of the family was always a good time. Music, dancing, amazing food, lots of culture. But one day he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Killed by a drunk driver the day before his birthday. Tore my mother's heart to pieces . . . for the longest time. My older brother stepped up and as far as I can remember, he raised us when she couldn't."

"I'm sorry."

Jonathan shrugged. "Not your fault."

"Did you get your mother's eyes?"

"My mother's eyes, my dad's hair, and a mix of their skin."

"It's a beautiful combination if you ask me." Evan smiled crookedly at him and turned his gaze back out to the water in the distance as the sun started to sink. Jonathan watched the sun cast shadows on his face as it disappeared and he thought that Evan was kind of beautiful too.

* * *

The first scream rang out and Bryce and Ryan came into the room, ready to get the night started. They waited a while longer as the purple sky faded to black and the stars began to shine.

"Let's get to the roof." Jonathan pushed himself from the bed and led them up the last flight of stairs and out on the rooftops. The looked down at the streets to find it empty and quiet, which felt wrong, but maybe they were just lucky. Jonathan clicked his flashlight at Marcel and he received a flash in return. "Alright it looks clear for now, come on."

They headed for the bottom floor and come out on the street and started sprinting for the boundary line. Jonathan came to a stop at the corner of the building just before the line and threw a dummy bag out into the open, waiting to see if someone was going to shoot. The night was silent, no bullets, no sounds. Just the dust that the bag had stirred up. He looked up at the blinking light of the tower and he could hear the faint buzzing of the backup generator that kept it online. It wasn't enough noise to draw any screamers, he hoped.

"Ready?" He glanced back and all three men gave a nod. He handed Bryce a walkie. "Take this, we'll tell you if something is wrong. Get it done as fast as you can."

Jonathan ran across the street, across the line and behind a line of bushes just beside one leg of the tower. The other three followed suit and he and Evan watched the two men climb as fast as their legs would take them up the tall tower.

"Let's head back. I'll stay down low and you go up high, get a good vantage point from above." Jonathan suggested and Evan gave him a quiet nod. They ran back and set up, Evan on the roof, Jonathan on the ground and they waited as screams continued to echo in the distance.

"How's everything going up there?"

The walkie clicked on. "It's good. Wiring it in now."

Jonathan relaxed against the wall behind him and glance back and forth in both directions and he knew something wasn't right. It didn't feel right to begin with. But maybe that was just his way of thinking. If it was going good, then it was going to go bad.

Evan felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck the longer they waited. His heart was starting to work a little harder and he didn't know why. But it was too quiet and that's when his eye caught something at the base of the tower. Small blinking lights at the base of each leg. They hadn't been blinking before or he would've seen them. His heart was in his throat as he jumped the side of the roof and hit the fire escape and took the steps as fast as he could. He hit the ground and rolled, sprinting for Jonathan who was holding his hands out to slow him down.

"Call it off! They have bombs at the base of the tower, tell them to get down!" Evan heaved and Jonathan didn't even question him, just put the walkie to his mouth and held a handful of Evan's shirt in his fist.

"Bryce! Ryan! You need to get down, right now! No questions, just move!"

"We're in the middle of tapping the message!"

"Get down!"

They glanced up, watching them scramble and head down the ladder. But their luck had run out and Jonathan pulled Evan toward him and shielded him on instinct when the explosion rang out leaving a sharp ringing in their ears. Dust shot out around them as they crouched down against the building. Jonathan kept Evan's face covered against his chest until the wind swept it away and they could breath again.

The tower swayed and slowly leaned further in the other direction, into enemy territory. They watched the two men cling to the ladder but just as the tower started to fall, they jumped on the nearest rooftop and ran until they were out of sight. There was shouting in the distance and a warning shot, then silence.

Evan was breathing heavy when he felt a hand on his face, gripping his jaw. "Are you okay?"

Evan couldn't answer, their friends were either dead or captured and it was he who had convinced them all to band together and try.

"Evan." Jonathan shook him.

"Yeah." He finally responded and took a deep breath. He wasn't going to choke again, he had to deal with it. They could figure it out, they always did. "We need to run."

Jonathan agreed as the screams flooded the streets and a sea of green glowing eyes began to show. "Marcel! Fall back!"

They watched him take off on the rooftops just as bullets began hitting all around them. "Fuck!"

Jonathan pulled Evan by the hand until he was running at full speed beside him down the road, back into the city. Screamers kept cutting them off and sending them in alternate directions. They never had time to stop and bust open a door to hide. But the tower was growing closer and Marcel was still above them on the rooftops, yelling something they couldn't quite hear.

But they found out as the gate came into view. It was open and waiting for them, but Murphy, Scott, and every other defender had a gun pointing up at something. That something was Langley on a rooftop with a knife at her throat, held by a man he had only seen in the dim light of the dark confines of the prison he was kept in.

Evan felt the hair stand on the back of his neck, but then he felt Jonathan's hand on his back as they slowed to a jog. His voice was in his ear, deep and serious and it reminded him of that day in the police station when he held him close and spoke in his ear.

"We'll figure this out. Are you with me?"

Evan turned his head and caught his steel gaze, their hands brushed and he felt all of the uncertainty fade. "I'm always with you."


	8. Chapter 8

Song for this chapter: Chevelle - Still running

* * *

Langley was selfless.

She was also the most insecure but never let anyone know. She made you feel like a fucking star in the center of the universe before she let anyone know that she was fighting demons in her head every day. So, being up on a rooftop with a knife at her throat, being held in exchange for a ransom that was surely far more than her worth, it was kind of ridiculous.

Langley tried her best not to grin because Murphy looked like her world was ending and everyone else looked legitimately scared. Everyone except Anjo and Evan, who seemed to be attempting to think their way around this. But there wasn't a way.

Anjo finally spoke once everyone was inside the now closed gate. He had to raise his voice over the gurgling and shrieking of the screamers. "What do you want?"

The man spoke in her ear, just loud enough, "Your doctor, in exchange for her."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Langley nearly snorted in her captor's arms. "Our doctor? What makes you think they'll give up a doctor for me? I'm not that valuable."

He didn't speak. Just waited for a response from the leader of the group.

"And if we give you the doctor?"

"Then I'll leave her here, unharmed. If not, she goes with me and she more than likely won't see many more sunsets."

It was silent, as silent as it could be with all the dead running rampant around them below. For a moment, Langley could see them considering it. She could see Evan's hand gripping Anjo's arm and she couldn't quite tell what that meant. But she caught his eyes and shook her head at him, mouthing a simple 'don't'.

His jaw flexed and Evan said something in his ear. Langley's heart almost flipped in her chest when she saw David at the front doors. They were idiots if they were going to agree to this. She had to do something.

"I will never forgive you if you give him to them. He is all we have and I'll be damned if I let you give him away. Everyone needs him, no one needs me. It's simple and you know it." Langley attempted to persuade her leader and she saw the moment that he decided to let her go.

She gave a small nod. "I'll be fine."

"You better be or I will find you and kick your fucking ass." Murphy glared up at her, lowering her weapon.

"Love you, too, Murph." Langley caught a dark figure in the corner of her eye and turned her head to see the guy that had attacked her in the first place. He wore all black, hood up. She pointed at him as the other man started walking backwards with her in tow.

"Watch out for that one, he's a sneaky little fuck!" She called out as the gate disappeared from her view and it all started to sink in.

 _It's fine. It's fine. If anyone was going to die out here it was always going to be you. You knew. It's fine_.

She took a deep breath and her heart finally calmed down and she was forced down a ladder, the guy in black was waiting for her at the bottom. She took his hand when it was offered and she hopped off the last step with a sarcastic smile.

"Thank you, kind sir."

The boss came down beside her and landed in the alleyway. His boots echoed off the brick walls. The screamers had been blocked off by two dumpsters where the alley began at the street. They paid them no mind as they ran loose in the pitch black night.

"Take her below, I'll meet you back at camp." The boss instructed and disappeared into the next building without another word.

"Come on." The guy turned and Langley followed him further down the alleyway until he uncovered a manhole and motioned for her to get in.

She raised a brow, "Seriously? Is this where you guys have been the whole time? Living in the sewer, fighting crime?"

"Get in, please." He asked without so much as an emotion.

"Tough crowd." She shrugged and lowered herself in, stepping down the small ladder until her feet were firmly planted on a semi-wet hard surface. It was just big enough to stand. "Awesome."

The guy came down after her and if she wanted to, she could've run but she knew she'd be lost in a matter of minutes and she didn't have a light to see with. As soon as she thought about the darkness, he clicked on the flashlight that he'd taken from her and started moving forward.

They walked for about five minutes taking seemingly random lefts and rights. The air was sickly warm and reeked of more than just shit. Something smelled well and truly dead mixed in with it. It sent a hard shiver down her spine and almost forced the bile up her throat.

"So. Is this how you guys always get around?" She inquired and he didn't say anything for a good while so she asked again.

"SO. IS THIS HOW YOU GUYS ALWAYS GET AROUND?" Her voice echoed so loud it hurt her own ears. She stepped back when he spun around and pulled his hood back revealing his troubled face. She didn't expect him to look so . . . normal.

"Keep your voice down. We aren't the only things down here. We have them under control, blocked off, but if they get too riled up, who knows what could happen. Okay?" He furrowed his brows and he actually looked like a nice guy. He just seemed so out of place.

"You don't want to be doing this." Langley stated because there was no question about it.

"No." He said, looking faintly torn before he turned away and kept moving. "I never wanted any of this. There are things you should know before we get there."

"Like what?"

"Like how he's going to hurt you. It won't just be physical, but mental. He has a way of breaking people and also killing them. He excels at that. He's smart so don't underestimate him. Everything he does, he does it for a reason. Just like how he took you tonight."

"He knew we wouldn't give up the doc?"

"Yeah."

"Great. So what does he want me for? Weak ass leverage?"

"Leverage nonetheless." He said casually, like he'd been through this before countless times.

"Why don't you get away if you don't want to be with him? You have the sewers that you clearly know how to navigate. Why don't you run?" She wondered as they trudged along.

"I have friends. I can't leave them behind."

"Jesus, seriously? Go get them and take them to the tower, they will take you in. It's that fucking simple." Langley was having a hard time believing how ignorant this guy was.

"It's not." He stopped walking and sighed, using his hands as he spoke. "You're right. I could take them to your tower, but your leader knows who I am. I beat the ungodly shit out of him. Under orders of course. I do what I have to, or else I get fed to the dead."

"Nice." She huffed and leaned against the wall.

"So I wouldn't be able to go with them. If I returned alone, he'd know it was me that led them all away. He'd kill me right there. Or worse, he'd bring them back and kill them right in front of me and leave me alive as a lesson. You see? I'm stuck here. I don't have a choice. I do what he says, I have shelter, food, I live."

Langley crossed her arms and nodded. "That sucks, dude. Listen I feel really bad for you and your friends. But I still think you have a choice. You can go back with me, I can get you in."

"I don't think your friends will be as forgiving as you." He gave a small amused laugh.

"Alright. Your choice." Langley shrugged and pushed off the wall. "And it's totally fine if you have to beat me up or whatever he makes you do. I have a very strong disposition when it comes to uncomfortable situations."

"You say that now." He furrowed his brows. "I really don't want this to be bad for you. Do what he says and you'll be okay. Or as okay as you can be in a world like this."

Langley didn't know what to say so she gave a small nod of acknowledgment even though she was going to fight this head honcho tooth and nail when they got there. "What's your name?"

He started backing away down the sewers, catching her hard gaze before he pulled his hood back up and turned. "Arlan."

* * *

"She's dead." Murphy said plainly a week later, no emotion in her voice as they all sat in the lobby cleaning guns as the sun broke the horizon.

"She is not. She can handle herself." Jonathan stated and Murphy's head snapped in his direction.

"Is that why you just let her go because you think she can handle herself?" Murphy stood. "They are violent, hostile men. When she turns up in the middle of the night screaming her dead head off, maybe then you'll be sorry."

Jonathan watched her storm off and he really didn't have the energy to explain to her why he knew Langley would be fine. He was tired from running all night with Evan, so he rubbed his eyes and laid back on the floor. Lucah licked his hand and huffed.

"I'll go talk to her." Evan offered and pushed himself to his feet trailing quietly down the hall Murphy had disappeared down.

But they both knew she wouldn't fully forgive anyone or herself until Langley came back. They didn't know when that would be or if he'd even let her go. But Jonathan knew deep down somehow that she wasn't going to be killed. The guy in the mask kept her for a reason.

"Murph, listen to me." Evan tried to open the door that she was holding shut with her body on the other side.

"Fuck off."

"You don't have to open the door, just listen to me." Evan leaned against the wall. "He needs her for leverage against us. As long as he has her alive he has something to hold over us and we have nothing over him. He's not gonna give that up. She's going to be okay. You know her better than any of us."

Murphy yanked the door open and glared at him with glossy eyes. "Exactly! I know her. She is perfectly okay with dying for me, for you, for everyone here. She wouldn't think twice about it. So if he pushes her for information she is going to laugh in his fucking face until he's had enough. He's going to kill her and for what?"

"Murphy."

"I'm done." She shoved her way past him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to run."

Evan jogged to keep up with her but stopped when Jonathan grabbed at his pants leg when he passed him on the floor.

"Let her go."

Evan looked down at him, surprised at his leisure mood. "What if she goes looking for her?"

"She won't. She's not that stupid. Give her some space." He threw his arm over his eyes and went back to petting Lucah with the other.

"What's up with you?" Evan crouched and pulled the man's arm away from his face. He had bags underneath his eyes.

"I'm thinking. Do you mind?" Jonathan tugged his arm back and covered his eyes again.

"No." Evan grinned fondly at his attitude. "Why don't you go get on the cot in the corner and get some sleep. You look dead. We can run for the day while you rest."

Jonathan just gave a short groan in response, but he didn't move. Then he groaned even louder when Evan stood over him and grabbed his arms, pulling him up until he was on his feet, swaying. He dragged him over to the small bed in the corner and left him there.

Jonathan didn't argue, just pulled the pillow over his head and let his leg hang over the edge. He passed out within thirty seconds and the room fell silent. Evan gathered up his bag and pointed at Marcel and a young guy named Desmond, motioning for them to follow him outside.

For the past week they'd been sending other's outside to run. Murphy was a natural at it and everyone else was steadily learning how they did things. They were on the search for more baby food and antibiotics just for the sake of keeping their supplies in stock for emergencies. He and Jonathan had discussed it the night Langley was taken and decided that they needed to let more people get out there and get used to the city and how to navigate the streets and the rooftops. That way if they had to abandon the tower, they had more than just two people to lead them all away.

They crossed their fingers that a situation like that never happened. Enough had already happened and Evan knew it was weighing Jonathan down. Because he was stubborn and felt like he had to fix everything even though they couldn't fix any of it.

They couldn't bring Bryce and Ryan back any more than they could waltz in and get Langley. It was all entirely out of the picture, but Jonathan still insisted on fighting sleep and thinking of a way. He was surprised he got up and laid down in the bed.

He, Marcel, and Desmond climbed their way to the rooftops and set off in different directions to cover more area. Evan could see Murphy off in the distance sitting up high on a church tower, letting her legs hang over the edge as she brooded. It was best to let her be for now. She was a little spitfire and pretty much Langley's twin, so he steered clear.

The day was long as he picked through abandoned stores and housing. He felt a little sick the longer he lingered around the memories of people that were surely dead, maybe some of which he'd killed in the night. Swallowing it all down was getting harder and harder to do, but he was fighting hard to keep himself from slipping. Choking on his guilt.

He felt solely responsible for the three people they lost. It was his pep-talk, his encouragement, his idea.

 _His fault._

Then there was Jonathan and the fact that the ache in Evan's chest was getting worse every time he caught his eye. The runner was straining himself and hadn't really spoken to him since that night when chaos erupted. Evan understood, he needed to think, they all did.

The atmosphere had changed dramatically in the lobby. Everyone was gloomy and grey and hardly joked around anymore. The ball of sunshine was gone, said ball's best friend, and the woman that kept them all on their toes. They were essential and without them they had withered.

Evan ran until night fell then he regrouped with Marcel and Desmond. They gathered all their bags and trudged into the tower where everyone helped them sort it all out and cart it where it needed to go. The supplies were growing in number just within the past week from the increased amount of runners. It took one small weight off of their shoulders.

It was better than nothing.

* * *

Evan found Jonathan where he always went as a last resort to get away from everyone. The door to the roof was propped open and Jonathan was resting against the ledge, leaning on his elbows, looking out at the city with paint on his fingertips.

He paid Evan no mind, like he used to before he let himself slip and started caring too much about him and his place in his life. Lately that place was right beside him, everywhere. In the next shower stall, the bed next to his, the seat to his left, on his six as they ran.

He never used to feel the heat coming from him, but now he could sense his warmth radiating like summer. Jonathan knew he was right there, but he refused to look at him. He refused to feel anything more than he already did. Yet he couldn't stop the nerves from twisting in his stomach at Evan's soft tone.

"Angel Boy."

Jonathan was silent so Evan leaned against the concrete, letting his shoulder brush his.

"You can't fix this one. Stop hiding and trying to find a way. The military has our boys and tall guy won't give up Langley unless we give him something important in exchange. We have nothing else that we can afford to lose." Evan looked over at him and sighed when he continued to stare out at the city. "Jonathan, talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?" The runner looked at his hands and the small triangle tattoo on the inside of his middle finger. It matched his brother's and his father's. "Bryce and Ryan could've got away and are in hiding, waiting for help and we're just sitting here twiddling our thumbs."

"That's all we can do. I seriously doubt they got away. The military was waiting for us, I heard a warning shot. Yeah, maybe one of them are hiding. But we don't know and we can't exactly go looking over the boundary line without getting ourselves killed. And if they were able to make it back here, they'd be back already. As for Langley, I trust you when you say she'll be okay. So, can you please stop disappearing on me? We need to work together and keep going." Evan stood back when Jonathan did. The runner ran his hands through his hair before he pulled his hat back on.

"Jonathan, I swear to fucking God if you back out on me again I'll . . ." Evan could hear the plea in his own voice and swallowed when Jonathan looked him dead in the eye.

Evan knew what he was trying to do, what he was always trying to do. He was trying to push him away and Evan thought that after all the times the man had tried and failed, that maybe he'd give up. But there they were, staring each other down and he could pretty much taste the tension that was hanging between them now.

"You'll what?" Jonathan finally responded and Evan couldn't do anything but glare at him because it hurt to see the guy who admitted to him that he was sort of his best friend, pushing him away yet again. Even if he was semi-high at the time, it didn't change the fact that Jonathan had said it and that it had meant everything to Evan.

He wanted to say a lot of things, but instead he watched Jonathan brush past him. Then he surged forward and kept pace behind him all the way down the stairs until they reached the elevator.

"I'll do nothing." Evan rubbed at his eyes. "Because in a few days you'll go right back to laughing at my jokes and letting me be near you again. You think you're doing yourself a favor by trying not to care about anyone, but you have no idea how much you've already changed and there is no going back from it."

The runner sighed and kept his mouth shut. He knew that arguing would make Evan speak even more and he didn't have the patience at the moment. Jonathan just wanted to get away from it all. He wanted to get away from Evan more than anything.

"You can give me the silent treatment, I don't care, because I know you. You're doing this because of them; Langley, Ryan, and Bryce. They're your friends now no matter how much you tried to keep to yourself. You're not a lone runner anymore and you gotta accept that, man. I don't understand why you keep backpedaling. You open up to everyone and then you regret it. What are you so scared of?" Evan stepped off the elevator behind him and kept his eyes on his shoulder blades that kept moving beneath his shirt. "When I first met you . . . you would've let them all go without thinking. You wouldn't have worried because it was their choice and you'd move on, do what you had to do. You wouldn't linger. But now that you care and I know you fucking care, you're losing sleep over it. Just like I couldn't even think straight when you were taken."

Evan stopped walking when it all settled on his shoulders, the guilt that had been hanging around him like a storm cloud waiting to come crashing down disastrously. He took a deep breath, "Jesus fucking Christ, this is all my fault."

Jonathan stopped, "How is any of this your fault? It's not anyone's. It just . . . _happened_."

Evan shook his head, "If I had never gone out there and started running in the first place . . ."

"Then I'd have been overwhelmed, taken eventually, probably killed, and then everyone here wouldn't have known what to do. Chaos would've erupted, the tower wouldn't have lasted as long as it has." Jonathan shrugged and turned around to find Evan looking at him so god damn desperately and all he wanted to do was laugh at him and shove him, take off running down the hall just because he knew he'd chase him down. He wanted to, but that only meant Evan was one step closer to being someone he didn't want to live without.

When you cared too much about something and then you lost it . . . . it was worse than dying. Worse than being alone.

He'd take the solitude any day.

"Dude . . . _please_." Evan huffed. "Stop doing this."

Jonathan took a step back, "I can't."

Evan let him turn and walk away yet again. But like all the times before he swallowed his emotions, readjusted his hat and took off running after him. "I won't stop either, you asshole."

Jonathan sighed so heavily when Evan caught up. He felt him bump his shoulder like everything was going to be fine and go back to normal. But it wasn't.

Jonathan wouldn't let it this time, no matter how hard Evan tried.

* * *

Her teeth felt loose from biting down on nothing. The headache she had was unreal, piercing behind her eyes and throbbing with her erratic heartbeat.

But, Langley refused to scream. No matter how hard he hit, or how deep he cut, she refused. It was nothing she couldn't handle, except when the guy walked away and she was left to herself in the dark. That's when she cracked just a little. It would get so quiet.

She was lost in thought, day dreaming about nice things and sticking a knife into the tall guy's chest, watching the blood flow beneath her fingers. Such a nice thought. There were times when she actually wanted him to kill her, but she knew he wouldn't do it until he got what he wanted.

Her lips were sealed even to Arlan who always snuck in at the most random times to give her a bit of water and something for the pain before he ran off without so much as a sound.

Langley was grateful for that.

"He won't stop." Arlan whispered to her through the door one day or night, she really didn't know. "Not until you give him something. Give him something, please. Lie, make something up."

" . . . I can't." She muttered through bloody teeth.

Arlan sighed and she didn't hear from him for another three days when he came bursting through the door which made her jump and scramble for the corner. The dark only made it worse as he grabbed her beneath the arms and lifted her. It was the only place it didn't hurt and she relaxed a bit when she realized he wasn't there to hurt her.

He placed her on a table, the only furniture in the cold, empty cell and he pressed the side of his face against hers and he spoke so low she had to strain to hear. "He's listening. I know you won't talk or give up anything. But can you scream?"

"What?"

"Scream. I'm supposed to be ripping your clothes off right now and having my way with you. If he hears you scream, even just a little, he'll ease up on you. He'll think he's winning." Arlan gripped her hips. "Langley, please. If you don't scream for me, someone else will come in here and trust me when I say the others aren't as gentle as I am."

She shuddered at the thought and felt the bile threaten to come up. "I can't -"

"Yes. You can." He pulled her closer to him and tore her shirt at the collar, ripping it halfway for show. "Think about someone else doing this to you, not me. Get angry. Fight back. Scratch me. Make it real."

He didn't say another word just slammed his fists down on the wood and Langley heard herself yelp then imagined it being another man. A tall man, who had already beaten her black and blue. She could imagine his hot breath on her face as he held her down and tore her clothes unwillingly from her body.

Her breathing started to become uneven. The anxiety took hold of her and she almost couldn't breathe.

"That's it." He whispered and wrapped his arm around her and started to lay her back on the rickety table.

"No." She gasped and tried to work her hands in between them. Fuck, she couldn't breathe. It was dark and she couldn't move.

It was the feeling of being constricted that set her off. The heavy weight of another person on her in the dark and hot breath in her ear. Her lip trembled and she started pushing at him, but he wouldn't let go. He pressed her down into the table and her breaths were coming fast now.

"Get off!"

"Make me." He whispered as he held her a little tighter, increasing her anxiety on purpose. Arlan wasn't hurting her, but it was hurting him to see such a strong woman have to go through so much torture for such a stupid reason.

She struggled and it felt like the world was closing in on her. Langley thrashed as she thought about the time she was locked in a well house when she was twelve. It was her cousin's fault but none of that mattered. As much as she had beat on the door, no one heard her calling for help. The air had turned hot, moist, and thick in the small confined space and she had hyperventilated just like she was now.

The tears fell and her back arched with the intensity of the scream that left her lungs. It was ear splitting and she sucked in a ragged breath before it came up again just as loud. All of her fears and frustrations poured out and it felt like hours before it let up and Arlan pushed up and away from her.

"Shh. He's gone." Arlan offered her comfort but she pushed him away so she could breathe. The skin on her face was raw from wiping away the wetness furiously as she got control of herself.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into the dark. "I don't think he'll touch you again now that he thinks he's got to you. Don't listen to anything he says. Don't believe a word."

All Langley could do was breathe heavily into the dark, shaking, growing angry at how weak she really was.

"I have to go." Arlan stepped toward her carefully and reached for her, finding her fingers, giving them a small reassuring squeeze. "You're going to be okay. Do you believe me?"

His hand moved up to touch her warm, clammy face and she gave an uncertain nod.

"I'll be back when I can."

Then he was gone and she was left sitting there with a splinter in her thigh and ripped clothes, not knowing what day or time it was. She had to put what faith she had in a man she didn't really know. A man that could be playing her for his own gain.

* * *

"Where the fuck is Craig?!" Murphy fumed back into the lobby after she stomped off the elevator. "I need him to fix this fucking radio and for once in his life he's not holed up in that disgusting nerd lair."

"He was in the mess hall last I saw." Scotty mumbled and went back to polishing Marcel's blades while his lover sharpened old ones.

Murphy disappeared back upstairs again and the room fell silent once more. Everyone hated it. It was so tense and no one had the patience for humor anymore. Things took such an unexpected turn and no one really knew how to deal with it.

"You think shit's ever gonna get back to normal?" Scotty asked and relaxed a bit when Marcel took his hand that smelled of metal and pressed his lips against his knuckles.

"I do. We just have to give it some time." Marcel leaned over and lifted Scotty's chin, kissing him gently because he knew he needed to be reassured that they weren't lost causes. "Come on."

He pulled him away to their bunk in his workspace and took his mind off of things for a while and it wasn't until they were dozing off that he heard two familiar voices floating through the lobby.

"I'm going with you." He heard Evan and the attitude in his tone. They'd been arguing again, but that was nothing new.

"Of course you are." There was Anjo's unamused sarcastic voice.

"What? You don't want me to?" Evan pressed. But Anjo kept silent. "Dude, if you keep doing this to me I'm only gonna get worse. You know me, I can't stand it when it's quiet. I'm gonna get so fucking wound up that I'll give you another nickname."

"Don't."

"I don't know, I think people around here would like to call you something other than Anjo. Since you're stupidly secretive about your name why not just call you . . . . Jay?"

"No."

"Come on, Jay, you know you like it." Evan smirked and he wasn't ready to be slammed against the nearest pillar with Jonathan's hard fists digging into his chest.

"Don't _ever_ call me that again."

Evan blinked and it registered that this was something deep, not just simple annoyance. This hurt him and Evan knew that he was one step closer to getting him to unravel at the seams. But the pain he saw flicker in his eyes had him thinking against pushing him over the edge.

Evan finally felt his feet firmly on the ground again and Jonathan was slinging open the front doors and running off into the sunlight. He collected himself and took a deep breath as he fastened his bag over his shoulder, following the only thing he ever wanted to; Jonathan.

"Come on, Lucah." He snapped his fingers once and as always she was there beside him, following him wherever his mess of a life took him. Lately that was in an endless circle around a man that was so complex that it made his head spin. But there was something so tragic and beautiful about his fucked up past and mind that made Evan want to drown in it.

* * *

Jonathan was on the verge of losing it. Losing his mind and definitely his patience. It was the kind of repressed anger and stress that stacked continuously, building up until it was ready to snap. He was ready to snap. He almost couldn't deal with it anymore.

He couldn't deal with wanting to open up and be as distant from Evan as he possibly could at the same time. Sometimes it felt like he was smothering and he would dig his nails into his arm until the feeling receded. It never lasted and hours later he was wanting to rip his hair out all over again.

But then there were the times when he would just lay there and listen to Evan talk about anything and he'd fucking talk all night. Jonathan didn't mind though. Once upon a time he would've thrown his shoe at him and told him to shut the fuck up, but recently his voice and his stories and his really bad jokes calmed him down. Sometimes he really wanted to know more about him, wanted to ask him about his past, wanted to know more about all the places he'd been and all the things he'd seen. Jonathan wanted to know deep down what made him tick and that's what worked his nerves up the most. The fact that he wanted to be closer, wanted to know every detail, how he got his scars, and whether or not he dreamed in color.

Evan was a good friend, he couldn't deny it and he wanted to. But he was good, great in fact and he moved around him, fit in his life so easily that it scared him.

It was like how things had been with Tyler, except Tyler was like his brother. With Evan it was like . . . magnetism. He was so fucking drawn to him, he felt it in his fingers. His smile was infectious and it always sent a wave of warmth through him. He was gorgeous from his head down to his toes and like himself, he was a little lost.

Jonathan knew he was already in too deep and it was going to hurt regardless, but he was accustomed to pain. So, he ran in the opposite direction when he saw Evan make it up to the roof tops with Lucah clinging to his shoulders.

To his surprise he was left alone for the majority of the day, until the sun started to set. He'd gotten comfortable sitting on the edge of safehouse, legs dangling over the edge as he watched the clouds change color and felt the temperature dropping with the season. There was a shuffling of little feet on a tin roof and looked to his left to find Lucah trotting his way from the adjacent building, moving steadily across the thick piece of tin he and Evan had placed between the the two rooftops ages ago to serve as a bridge.

He held his hand out and she jogged over, sitting beneath his arm after she dropped something in his lap. Jonathan clenched his jaw to calm himself before he pried the top off the small plastic tube.

To be honest, he wanted to toss it over the edge and pretend he didn't see the small piece of paper folded up inside of it. But his fingers ached and he shook his head at himself because he was so fucking weak-minded. He told himself it was because he had nothing else to do, that he was bored and curious, that it was not because it was from Evan and probably contained something really stupid or sweet or corny. Something that would make him smile.

Jonathan unfolded the paper and he bit his lip trying not to let the feelings run through him. He resisted the urge to look for him in the abandoned buildings below.

 _"You look really good up there from where I'm sitting. I mean you look good no matter what but, yeah. Have I ever told you how photogenic you are? Probably._

 _Listen, don't throw this into the wind or I'll come up there and fight you. I want you to have your space if that's what you need, but you are legit my best friend and my dog loves you. Really wish you would talk to me and stop hiding yourself from the world._

 _To be honest, I just like being with you. I like teasing you and running my mouth because it's like I said all those months ago, I'm trying to keep my mind off of everything else._

 _You help me do that._

 _-Me (your bro)_

 _P.S. Yes, I'm using my dog to get to your heart because you love her, too."_

This was the part where he was supposed to write back. Maybe turn the paper over and draw a quick sketch of a hand flipping him off. He knew that's what Evan was expecting, that's what he wanted him to do. But Jonathan pushed himself to his feet and started climbing up to the safe house, attempting to forget the words that were burning themselves into his brain.

He was a foot off the ground when he heard Lucah whine below him. Jonathan glanced back down and waved her off. "Go back."

She huffed and shook her head, pawing at the ground in front of her. She refused to go and Jonathan knew she'd sit there all night because she'd made up her mind already where she was going to sleep.

"Alright." He dropped to the ground and crouched. Lucah immediately crawled up his back and clung to him with her nails when he stood. It was clear she'd done it many time before because she held fast and never slipped. Her bottom feet were on his waist band and she leaned forward to balance herself as he climbed up to the open window. When he got to the ledge she jumped up and crawled in first.

Evan watched from his dark window a few layers down in the favela and grinned to himself. Jonathan didn't reply but at least he took Lucah with him and he wasn't alone and torturing himself. That was enough for him, for now.

Evan sent him a letter via Lucah each night and each night he'd watch him read it devoid of all emotion before he turned in for the night. Lucah kept him company until morning then she'd give Jonathan a wet lick on the face and retreat back to her owner until night fell again. It became a routine for two weeks and Jonathan thought that it was better this way.

Everything was fine up until the moment he realized that with each letter he read, the more he learned about the Asian. The more he read, the further he went into Evan's mind and it was the most fascinating thing.

Jonathan couldn't fall asleep without him waiting for him behind his eyes. He couldn't fall asleep without his letters playing themselves out.

 _"My favorite place to go was to my grandmother's house in the mountains of Cali. It was so far out, you couldn't hear a car for twenty miles and when night came you could see every star in the sky. Like that time the earthquake hit and it felt like I was where I was supposed to be. That's how I felt at my grandmother's. It was trees and adventure and make believe and lots of cuts and scrapes. Best time of my life._

 _Until it burned with a wildfire. Gone in minutes, half of my childhood, my sanctuary. I lost a piece of myself that day and it was like a turning point in my life. All the fantasy and mystery that came with being young and a dreamer, it was just gone in an instant and I'll never get that back._

 _But I feel it here. Kind of messed up, I know. But this place and the monsters and your mysterious ways . . . . feels like a little piece of me was put back into place."_

Jonathan dreamed of wildfires and a figure standing in the middle of it all, tall, menacing and familiar. The smoke was thick in his lungs; dry. Then he was running from it all, just like he was running from everything in the real world. He got nowhere and he woke to Lucah licking his hand. She laid her head on his chest for comfort and he stared out at the stars for hours until the sun came up and the faint screams disappeared.

* * *

Jonathan adored Lucah.

He cared about her, so he disappeared before she even showed up the next night. She howled sadly from below but he turned in the bed and ignored her calls until she got quiet.

That didn't mean there wasn't a little plastic bottle with another note in it sitting on the window sill waiting for him to open. Jonathan popped the top off and pulled the paper out, unfolding it and falling back to the bed as he read.

 _"I try not to hit the reflectors on the road when I switch lanes."_

That was it. Before he could even think about anything, he slipped his shoes on and took off running once his feet hit the rooftops. Evan was always in the distance and never far behind when he dropped his bags off. He never really went away.

Jonathan went inside the tower to eat and shower and he wasn't surprised when Evan turned on the water beside him. He never said a word though and it had Jonathan itching in the silence.

He couldn't take the quiet much more. That empty void between them. It was like Evan was a drug he had unwillingly and unknowingly become addicted to. When he wasn't there talking in his ear all day, he started to miss it.

Jonathan cut off the water and ruffled his hair up with the towel rougher than was really necessary, but he was so anxious waiting for Evan to finally say something.

 _Fuck_ , he wanted him to. Because he missed it, he missed _him_.

He slammed his locker shut after he dressed and nearly ran out of the room, doing anything he could to stop himself from turning and looking at him, from saying anything. His chest was hurting and he was pacing in the elevator before he got out on the mess hall floor.

He found some dinner and took a seat in the corner with his back to everyone like he normally did. It was so quiet and he was half expecting Evan to sit across from him as per their routine but instead he saw his hand place another message in a bottle beside him before he disappeared without a word.

Jonathan didn't realize his heart was beating a little faster until he had to take a deep breath to calm it down. He opened it after he finished eating. The fork clanked in the empty bowl and he glanced around for a familiar face that wasn't there, luckily.

The paper unfolded in his hands and he read.

 _"I see things and feel things very deeply. A sunrise isn't just a sunrise, it's colors and peace and it fills me up with a feeling I'll never be able to describe._

 _I love sitting in a coffee shop in a town or city I've never been in before, listening to foreign music I don't understand, watching the world move around me. It makes me see how small I am. It puts everything into perspective. Makes you enjoy the little things, like the shapes in the foam on top of your cappuccino, or the smile on a stranger's face as they run and hug a friend in the street._

 _I like to see other people happy even if I'm not entirely happy myself. Makes me wonder what could be and if maybe one day that'll be me instead, running across a busy street just to get across and hug that person I haven't seen in such a long time._

 _That's what most of my travels consisted of; photographing moments like those and just taking in the world around me._

 _It's really easy for me to put up a front, to pretend I'm okay. I have lapses, but I try to keep it up for you because I want to see you smile sometimes. I want to see you to be yourself. I want to see the real you._

 _Just want to see you, to be honest._

 _-Evan (Stop pretending to not like me. It's getting old and Lucah misses you.)"_

Jonathan stared at the paper for a long time and like all the other times instead of balling it up, he folded it neatly and put it in his pocket.

He still didn't know why.

* * *

The air was getting colder and Langley knew that fall was here or maybe winter was close. She never really kept up with the days. She was just waiting on it all to end. She wished for it, but she had a feeling he knew that so he kept her alive just out of spite.

He had moved her out into the open, in the middle of their camp for all to see how torn she was, how bruised and bloody and bound. But she didn't care, all she wanted to do was go to sleep and never wake up.

She was lying there face down in the dirt one morning when she heard quick whispers, something new. It was quite the task just trying to push herself up, but in time she was on her knees, looking around for the commotion and there it was being pulled into the camp by their arms, one ankle caught in a bear trap.

She felt the fire flaring up again in her chest when they were thrown to the dirt beside her. They groaned and then slowly turned her way, grinning madly.

Langley rolled her eyes and grit her teeth, "What _the fuck_ , Craig?!"

He gave a small laugh, "Trying to make things right."

"By stepping in a fucking trap?!"

"Well, that was unexpected. Didn't exactly know they were there, forgive me."

Langley sighed, "If you'd ever come out of that fucking room, maybe you'd have heard about life on the outside and by the way, you're not making anything right. If anything, it's worse now."

"Not everything goes according to plan." He shrugged where he was laying in the dirt. "It's whatever."

Heavy shoes and a dark voice interrupted their reunion. "This makes things easier for me. So I owe you my thanks . . . . _Craig_ , isn't it?"

"It is. Congratulations." Craig remarked which earned him a handful of dirt in his mouth.

* * *

Jonathan was running out of excuses to not let Evan come along, so when he passed him in the lobby the next morning he motioned with his head and Evan was on his feet so fast it was kind of cute. He shook the thought off and started running.

Evan made Lucah stay behind with Murphy for comfort because she was only getting worse and more angry at the world. The dog always made her feel better, so he gave her up for a while.

He caught up to Jonathan and kept his mouth shut for a majority of the run until they were getting pretty close to the boundary line on the outskirts of the city. They'd never searched this far out. Jonathan was rummaging through a closet in a random house, pulling sheets out of a closet until he found what he was looking for.

Evan was curious. "What exactly are you doing?"

Jonathan stuffed a wad of blue sheets into his bag and kept moving, giving the house a quick sweep for essentials before he climbed back up to the roof.

"We need to set up more safehouses out here if we're sending out more people and expanding our search grid." Jonathan finally responded and spread the sheets out on the rooftop, making Evan hold the edges out while he cut them into fourths. One to hang outside each safehouse so they could spot it easier.

It took up most of their day and they were falling into separate beds by sundown in a new safehouse after they'd secured all the doors downstairs.

All was quiet and Evan couldn't take it anymore. "Can I tell you something?"

"I can't stop you." Came Jonathan's calm reply in the dark.

 **(***suicide/self harm mention ahead/will be noted in bold***)**

"I used to be suicidal."

Jonathan opened his eyes and turned to see Evan's silhouette sitting up in his bed crosslegged, looking out the window. Of all people, Evan seemed like the last to have wanted to die at some point.

"I know, of all people right? That's what you're probably thinking." Evan gave a small laugh. "All my life I kept having the most important things taken away from me. When I'd find a friend in school, they'd move away the next year. When I got attached to an animal, they'd disappear or die. My grandmother's house burning took a big piece of me. I'm bisexual but I could never be with a guy because of my mother and the social circle I was forced into. That was another big piece of me. I felt so suffocated and supressed. When my dad died, that was the last straw for me. **(***START OF** **MENTION***)** I locked myself in the hospital bathroom with a scalpel and I had barely cut into my wrist, blood dripping on my foot when my family started banging on the door. I couldn't kill myself with them nagging me like they'd been doing my entire life. **(***END OF MENTION***)** So I ran, caught a random flight. I ended up in Indonesia and it was so beautiful. I thought to myself, how can I kill myself when I have all these sights to see? All these places to go and experience? So I traveled and I found an albino puppy in an alleyway, crying because it'd been thrown out like trash. Lucah stayed by my side and she's still here unlike everything else I've ever held close. I'm just hoping that you don't disappear . . ."

Evan left it at that and got comfortable in his bed before he drifted off to sleep leaving Jonathan restless. But when he did fall asleep he dreamed of his dad and his rich laughter. He dreamed of lighting firecrackers in a bathroom with a young Tyler, dreamed of squeezing his fingers purple on a plane to Rio, dreamed of walking away from him as the dust kept falling around them in the dark shambles of the parking garage. He was running and crying and he couldn't fucking breathe. Then he was awake with his heart running wild, a panic attack setting in, and Evan's hand in his squeezing it tight.

Evan lifted his hand to his chest and Jonathan could feel his heartbeat, strong and calm and he took a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of it beneath his fingers until he could breathe again. Evan was silent, letting him take his time in the dark until he finally settled.

"Do you-"

"No." Jonathan pulled his hand back and rolled to his side. "I don't want to talk about it."

He didn't want to think about it or the fact that it was almost impossible to imagine Tyler's laugh or smile anymore. He was forgetting. At the same time he could just think about Evan and he knew where his scars were and what color his tattoos were and why he loved that cat shirt so much. He knew what made him laugh and he knew that he was hurting him, but he kept telling himself that it was better this way. For the both of them.

* * *

Night turned into day and Evan was getting irritated, Jonathan could tell by the way he kept groaning and mumbling stupid shit behind his back. But then he went back to his old ways and started telling him the most off the wall facts and cracked the lamest jokes until the sun fell and Jonathan was ready to strangle him.

Instead of killing him he waited until the screams rang out and one set of green eyes wandered down an empty alleyway alone. Jonathan crept down the fire escape and let the thing get right beneath him. He pulled a blade out and dropped right on top of it, sinking the knife into the base of it's spine. He pulled back and stabbed again and again and again until he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure it's dead now, Angel Boy." Evan rubbed his thumb into his shoulder and it felt like a rock.

"You're so fucking tense."

"I'm not tense."

"Sure feels like it."

"Evan . . . don't fuck with me."

"Oh, come on. You know that's what I love to do. Why don't we call it a night and head for a safehouse? It's too dark."

Jonathan sat there crouched for a moment catching his breath and cleaning his knife off. Evan squeezed his shoulder again and worked into his muscle, but a moment later his fingers grazed his neck then moved to his collarbone. Jonathan grabbed his hand and stood. He glared at him in the dim moonlight and pressed his hand back against his chest before shoving him away and heading back up the ladder to the roof.

He could feel Evan's eyes boring holes into his back and it took effort to resist looking back even once, because he knew what he'd see. He'd see exactly what he was trying to run from.

The new safehouse was larger than the rest. Open floor plan, lush carpets, colorful trinkets hanging against the walls, and big bay windows that they'd chose to leave wide open for the cool air. It was clear a wealthier person used to reside there. Jonathan went straight for the kitchen and dug through the canned food they'd left stashed in the cabinet.

Then he felt Evan's warmth behind him and he paused with the can opener in his hand.

"Hey." Evan said quietly.

"What?"

"You've got some rips in your shirt. Let me check you for scratches. I don't want you to turn and eat me in my sleep."

"It was one fucking screamer and it was dead before it could even fight back."

"You were definitely caught up in the moment, you don't know what could've happened." Evan persisted and watched Jonathan roll his neck before he pulled his shirt up and over his head, throwing it off into the next room like an angry child. He pressed his hands on the counter and waited.

Evan saw his fingers curl on the countertop when he ran his hands over his bare back that was still damp with sweat. But his skin was turning cold from the air.

"You look good. No scratches, I mean."

"Are you done?"

"Are _you_ done . . . trying to push me away because you're afraid to be close to someone?"

Jonathan walked off, but Evan caught his arm and tried to pull him back. "Wait, you have a cut on the side of your face."

Evan reached for his jaw to run his thumb over it to access the severity of the scratch, but as soon as his hand grazed his skin, Jonathan pushed at his wrist and shoved his other hand into his chest, sending him back into the kitchen. Evan's hip caught the counter and he just stood there in shock for a moment. But he felt victorious, because Jonathan was never like this, had never been so physically violent toward him until tonight. Jonathan was close to breaking and Evan was waiting for it.

Jonathan was breathing heavier than normal when he said, "I'm fine."

Evan stood there leaning against the counter, trying to calm his heart and the heat in his stomach when Jonathan started walking away again. He was holding it all in and continuously pushing Evan away, fighting it with every fiber of his being. Evan was so fucking frustrated and sick of it.

He pushed away from the counter and took three big steps, putting all his strength into it when Jonathan heard him and turned around to face him. Evan pushed him, walking him back into another wall, hearing glass rattle on the shelves.

Jonathan was keeping his composure but Evan let out a pent up breath, "You think pushing me away is the best option for you but I'm all you've got whether you want to admit it or not. Stop fighting it, you have nothing to fucking lose."

"Are you done?"

"You're really fucking stubborn aren't you?"

"You really want me to fucking hit you, don't you?"

"Maybe I do." Evan pressed into him a bit more. "Because you hitting me is better than you ignoring me."

Evan was close enough already but he turned his face into him and his nose was against his cheek.

Jonathan turned his head away, "Stop."

"Why? Because you don't want to admit that I'm right? All I've ever wanted to do was be your friend and you refuse to let me. But yet, you let me follow you. Just me. No one else."

Jonathan clenched his jaw tight, almost defeated until Evan spoke again.

"So tell me why. Why won't you stop being such a god damn asshole and just let me take care of you? Let me be your friend, Jay."

Jonathan shoved him off hard and the anger swelled so fast his fingers shook. "I told you not to call me that!"

"I'm sorry, _Jay_." Evan smirked but it was gone when Jonathan lunged and tackled him to the floor. Everything in the room rattled, multiple trinkets fell from their shelves and shattered.

"This is nice! Tell me how you really fucking feel!" Evan grunted and rolled them, but Jonathan's fist connected with his jaw and sent him to the floor again.

Evan struck back, his knuckles burning with the impact to his pretty face. They were both bleeding at the lip and still sweaty from running. Evan got to his feet again and the back of his knees hit the coffee table. Jonathan shoved at him again and Evan fell back, but he took Jonathan with him. The table broke beneath their weight.

"Come on, Jay! Fucking talk to me!"

"Stop!" Jonathan punched him.

"Calling!" He hit again.

"Me that!" His fist connected once more.

Evan spat the blood from his mouth, fingers wrapped tightly around the wrist that was at his throat. "Why?!"

Jonathan was shaking and he felt a lump settling in his throat. "Because! The last person who called me that is dead! He's buried under ten tons of concrete and it was all my fucking fault!"

Evan stared up at him and watched him get up and run his hands through his hair. Evan pushed himself into a sitting position, leaning against the couch beside him. He wiped at the blood on his lips. "Tyler, right? . . . Do I remind you of him or something?"

"No you fucking idiot! Every time you call me Jay, I think about my best friend and how I can't get that night out of my fucking head, like he's haunting me!" Jonathan's voice almost broke. "I don't want the same thing to happen to _you_! I don't want you to get hurt because of me! I don't want you to die! I don't want to get close to you and then lose you! I can't . . . I already see your face every god damn day even when I'm not looking at you!"

Evan stood and moved toward him and Jonathan was ready to swing again. "Don't fucking touch me."

But Evan touched him anyway and his head hit the wall when Jonathan rammed him back against it. Jonathan had his wrists pinned on either side of his head so he couldn't touch him again. But, Evan wasn't fighting anymore, he just wished the man in front of him would stop running. He looked so tired.

Evan looked him in the eye, those blue fucking eyes that were shining faintly with angry tears that he would never let fall. He shook his head calmly. "I'm never gonna stop, Jonathan."

Jonathan squeezed his wrists hard. He wanted to run, he wanted to scream, he wanted to end it all but he couldn't. Evan was standing there patiently like he had been for months, letting him wage a fucking war in his head.

Jonathan lost it, he broke, giving in to everything he'd pushed down and away as far as he could get it. Which was never far, always right there at the back of his mind, on the edge of his fingertips. He had no control over anything when he surged forward and had their lips crashing together.

Evan gave an abrupt sound of surprise and at first he thought it was a joke, something to shut him up but he knew it wasn't when Jonathan slowly let his wrists go and grabbed his face instead.

They both exhaled at the same time and as soon as Evan responded and ran his fingers up his side, Jonathan snapped. He grabbed a fist full of Evan's hair and pulled too hard, but Evan didn't fucking care. It hurt, but he'd never been so hot before in his entire life. He could already feel his thighs trembling.

Jonathan pulled away and yanked at Evan's shirt and he ordered deeply, "Off."

Evan held his arms up and the shirt was gone in a blink and he hadn't even taken another breath yet when Jonathan came at him again, with more force. He pressed him into the wall, hearing the wood shift against their weight. It crackled and Evan let out a filthy noise when Jonathan bit down on the soft skin between his shoulder and neck. Jonathan's nails were cutting into his skin as he dragged them down over his hips and down past his pants and briefs.

Jonathan was fast and aggressive and it was so fucking good. Evan was breathing like he was running a marathon with screamers on his six. The adrenalin was coursing through them both and Evan was trying his best to kick his socks and shoes off while Jonathan kept sinking his teeth into him and pressing his hips into his.

He was finally successful just as Jonathan pushed his pants and briefs down all in one go. Evan stepped out of them shakily and risked trying to push Jonathan's down and to his surprise he let him push just enough until his cock was free. Jonathan gtabbed his jaw hard enough to bruise and caught his mouth again, kissing him until Evan was digging his fingers into his skin.

He pulled back for air and Evan was about to say something but Jonathan clamped his hand over his mouth and glared so fucking hard at him that it almost scared him. Jonathan pressed two fingers against his lips and slipped them into Evan's wet mouth when he opened up. At the same time, he spit into his other hand and wet the heat between his thighs.

Evan's heart was hitting his chest so hard it felt like it was coming out. He'd never been fucked before, never fucked another guy for that matter. But he didn't have time to back out because Jonathan was pushing him up the wall until he was holding him up with his body, forcing Evan's legs around his sides. Without warning he pushed two fingers in, wetting him with spit and moving fast. Evan was squirming, wanting to move with him but he was trapped against the fucking wall.

As soon as Jonathan pulled his fingers back he let Evan drop a bit and hooked his arms beneath his knees and pushed his way inside of him. He didn't take his time and Evan almost couldn't take it. Jonathan's teeth were at his throat, biting and sucking, leaving bruises as Evan started moaning uncontrollably.

"Ah!" Evan threw his head back and hit the wall. "Fuck!"

A second later Jonathan pulled out, unhooked his arms, let his feet hit the floor and then he yanked him forward, shoving him towards the table. He pushed him into the wood, face-down and was working himself inside again, spreading Evan's legs as he whined beneath him. He tried to move a hand between his legs but Jonathan held his wrists behind his back and kept him pressed down with the other as he fucked him.

His hips were snapping harder, faster, unrelenting and Evan was pushing back against him. He hit so fucking perfect and Evan wasn't expecting the orgasm that hit him so fast he couldn't process it. Just pure feeling running throughout his trembling body without even being touched.

All he could do was breathe and shake and try to form words that weren't coming. Then suddenly his arms were free and Jonathan was pulling him up. His back arched and a hand slid around his throat. Jonathan's other hand slid around his chest and his nails sunk in as he pounded into him a bit harder, just a few more uneven times before he gripped him tight and let out a heavy breath in Evan's ear as he came.

Neither one of them said a word, just stood there catching their breath. Jonathan really didn't want to move or deal with what he'd just done. Evan was slick with sweat and he was bleeding from the scratches he'd left down his back. His chest was more than likely bloody too, he could see the bruises on his neck from his teeth.

He stepped back slowly and let his hands slide away from him. Evan sank into the chair that was closest to him, his face pressed into the wood exhausted and in a daze.

Jonathan could feel it building in his chest. The anxiety was wrapping around his lungs the longer he stood there looking at Evan laying there against the table, a small trail of blood running down his hip. Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair and pulled and tried to breathe without choking.

The panic hit when Evan moved just barely. Jonathan pulled his sweats back up around his hips and scrambled for his shirt that had landed on a lamp across the room. He almost tripped on the rug by the window but caught himself on the balcony railing. He hopped over the edge and took off running and when he looked back he saw Evan standing there long, tan, lean, and naked. Perfect, leaning against the window frame covering himself with a shirt watching him run away.

Jonathan stopped and turned and he really wanted to say that he was sorry but he couldn't do anything but keep moving as far away as he could get. All of his anger was gone and what he was left with was an insufferable yearning.

He stepped backwards, turned, and he ran.

* * *

Murphy was sitting in the lobby, perched on a window sill with Lucah resting her head on her leg. She stared out at the closed gate and the stars that were popping up in the sky. It was unusually quiet outside. The screams were so distant and a part of her wanted to run out there and join them, but she knew what Langley would say.

It was kind of peaceful but she felt so empty and alone in the dark. Everyone else was sleeping soundly and she was ready to doze off with her face against the window.

Until Lucah growled.

Murphy was wide awake and staring out at the pitch black street just beyond the gate, feeling the hair stand up on her neck when she saw them glowing. Those eyes.

"Lui!" She called out but no one stirred. "Everybody up! Lucah speak!"

Lucah began barking at everyone as Murphy scrambled for her gun. They were slow to start, but the screams that rang out closer than they'd ever been, everyone moved a whole lot faster.

Marcel came out of his room shirtless rubbing his face, "The fuck is going on?"

"Take a look." Murphy tossed him a gun and pointed at the front doors. There was an entire horde forming along the fence.

* * *

Jonathan was on the highest level of a stack of houses to the west overlooking the city. He hadn't run far because he didn't know where to go. He was sitting there on the edge, chewing at his nails, rocking back and forth, trying to think of anything but Evan. Anything but his hot mouth, the blood on his lips, and the sounds he'd made. Jonathan shivered with the wind and he could feel every single spot that Evan's nails had dug into.

And he couldn't get that image out of his head. The one where Evan was standing there calmly . . . sadly, watching him run away.

 _Again_.

Jonathan put his head in his hands and looked at the dark below him. He whispered to himself. "Why the fuck are you like this?"

He sat there forever wallowing in self pity, trying to figure out what he was going to do about everything when he heard a gunshot.

And another. Then another. Closer this time, in the direction he'd just come from.

Jonathan stood and the wind blew his hair out of his face just in time for him to see a flash of a gun in the distance. He jumped down and ran when he realized it was from the safehouse he was just in. He ran as fast as his legs would allow and he was almost there where he heard shattering glass and a yell.

"Evan!"

Jonathan jumped over to the next roof getting closer but Evan was jumping the railing and waving him off.

"Screamers in the house! Too many! I don't know where they came from!" Evan sucked in a breath and kept running North. Jonathan fell into pace beside him. Evan never looked over at him. "Those first few gunshots came from the tower! We need to get back, something's happening!"

They ran a six minute mile in complete silence, twice. Jonathan watched the sweat drip down Evan's back as he ran in front of him until he finally pulled his shirt on that had been hanging around his neck. Like he'd been getting dressed when the screamers surprised him or something. Jonathan swallowed and looked away. Instead he focused on the horde of dead that had gathered around the gate as it came into view.

"Holy shit." Evan muttered and saw everyone outside of the hospital picking them off one by one. But the gate was damaged and leaning badly in one spot. "We've got to get down there."

Evan was running for a fire escape when Jonathan reached for him, "Wait!"

Evan glanced back as he stepped down the ladder. He barely caught his eye before he kept going, " _Later_."

If they were alive later. That thought alone had Jonathan sick and running after him down into the streets, fighting off the screamers that turned away from the gate. It wasn't enough to keep the other's from pushing a hole open in the fence. It was large enough that they were falling in two by two.

Within five minutes he and Evan were both covered in blood and black shit, moving back to back taking out anything that got close. The numbers dwindled and they made their way through the gap in the fence to find the defenders inside at war with what had come through.

They joined the battle and it all seemed so surreal. Jonathan felt like his life was moving in slow motion as he fought and stabbed and sliced. It was so much like a nightmare, seeing Marcel swinging his machete and slicing heads clean off, watching Lui blowing body parts into oblivion, Murphy's hair flying as she channeled all of her anger into killing the dead for good, seeing Lucah jump six feet in the air to grab a screamer by the neck and rip its throat out, watching the other half dozen defenders wailing away.

None of it felt real. But what did feel real was seeing Evan in the middle of it all like a light in all the chaos, cutting into anything that ran too close to him.

What felt real was the look he gave him when the last one fell and he stood there catching his breath, blood dropping from his chin. Jonathan felt so far away and he felt like he'd lost something he never really wanted to. It was standing right in front of him, dripping with blood, sweat, and God knew what else. He still couldn't get words to leave his mouth, but for once he didn't feel like running from Evan anymore.

So he didn't.

"What the fuck is that?" Scotty pointed down the dark road where a faint shuffling noise could be heard. They'd opened the gate to move the dead away and there was a figure moving towards them in the darkness.

"It looks dead." Lui said bluntly. "But it's moving too slow."

"It's pulling something." Murphy squinted and then her entire body shook. "Langley! It's Langley!"

"Walking or being dragged?" Marcel asked.

"Walking!" She yelled and took off out the gate, but something was wrong as it usually was. Langley gave no response to seeing her best friend, she didn't stop walking either. She pulled what was now clearly another body until she was through the gate where she let the body go and kept walking lifelessly into the tower.

Her clothes were ripped, in rags, and her hair was shaved on one side. She had two deep cuts running along the side of her head and multiple scabbed up wounds on her arms, and blood spatter on the side of her face.

No one knew what to say or do. They all just stood there looking at the dead body lying on the ground where Langley had left it.

Lui was the first one to step forward and examine it. He crouched and he knew exactly who it was just by the wire framed glasses that were broken, laying carelessly on the side of his face.

Jonathan caught Evan's tired and defeated eyes when Lui looked around at them all and said what everyone was praying he wouldn't.

"It's Craig."


	9. Chapter 9

**Songs for this chapter:**

 **MISSIO - I Run To You**

 **MICHL - Die Trying**

 **This chapter is NSFW.**

* * *

For a moment, it was quiet. Just for a second before Evan moved. He wiped the blood from his face and without a word he started pulling the dead by the arms outside of the gate.

The stars were bright up above and they worked silently in the moonlight moving the dead on the other side until all that was left inside were ominous black and red patches in the grass. Until all that was left was Craig's lifeless body and too many questions that were still unanswered.

There were still faint screams echoing in the dark when they gathered around him, looking down at the smartest person they had, now gone. They were techless, missing more assets now than they could afford. They were losing their grip on the situation and no one really knew what to do.

All eyes ended up on Jonathan as they usually did, searching for guidance and answers he didn't have. He was still stuck in his own head, still had Evan running through his mind, still had his fingers bruising his skin. He still couldn't breathe.

Evan cleared his throat and shuffled his feet, "We should burn the bodies. Screamers won't come near the light and those other fucking assholes already know we're here so it's not like we're alerting anyone of our presence. They'll start to stink otherwise."

Murphy gave a small nod, keeping her eye on Anjo because he was staring at Evan like he wanted to speak but words couldn't form. She saw him struggling with something but she didn't know what. Murphy caught Evan's eye and saw the same thing.

"What do we do about Craig?"

"Burn him, too." Evan sighed. "That way we at least have ashes to give his family if we ever get out of here."

"Okay." Marcel said quietly and everyone started to part. "Let's get this done."

Silence fell over the tower once more as everyone assigned themselves duties. Soon there was a massive fire burning high into the night as the screamers disintegrated in the street. Jonathan still didn't know what to do. Everyone had something to keep them busy and he was stuck standing there trying not to let the stress and anxiety topple him again.

He felt a light touch to his forearm and looked over to find Murphy looking up at him. "We need more metal. That wood isn't doing shit anymore on the fence."

All he could do was swallow and nod. She wanted to ask him what was going on, he could feel it, but she didn't. Jonathan finally moved, wiping his face with his shirt before he walked out into the streets and around the fire in search of anything to restructure the fence with.

He figured Evan wanted the distance anyway.

* * *

Murphy wandered into the tower at daybreak, exhausted and filthy, looking for some sort of relief from their unrelenting problems. But she knew it would only get worse each day. It always did.

She found Langley in the showers sitting on the floor in a stall fully clothed with hot water scorching her skin. Murphy didn't say anything just got to her knees and started cutting away the ruined clothes that covered her beaten body. Langley let her pull her to her unsteady feet and leaned against the wall as she undressed herself.

Murphy carefully washed her and tried not to cry when her fingers ghosted over cuts that were shallow, deep, and everything in between. She was bruised. Some old, some new. Langley never even winced and Murphy knew that was a bad sign. It meant she was locked up tight and secure inside of her own head. She probably didn't even know where she was right now, too lost in thought and smothered in self-loathing to care.

Murphy cleaned the dirt and blood from Langley's face and washed her hair until she somewhat looked like herself again, minus half the head of hair she was missing. She took her face in her hands and tried to get her to look at her, but her eyes were empty and tired.

"Say something, damn it." Murphy pleaded but she got nothing in return, just a cold ache in her chest.

The door opened behind them and Evan walked in quietly, looking like absolute shit. He took a breath and sighed, something he did a lot when he couldn't stop thinking. "What do you need?"

"Towels and clean clothes. Big shirts, something baggy. She's probably really tender, but she won't make a noise."

Evan gave a short nod and left without a sound. A few minutes later Anjo came in and asked them the same question, "What do you need?"

Murphy grinned sadly, "Help me carry her to a room and get David to look at her?"

Evan came in behind him with towels and clothes and they all worked together to get her dry and dressed before Jonathan picked her up in his arms and carefully carried her to the elevator. He swallowed at all the tension in the small space. Evan was quiet beside him, not even glancing his way and Murphy could see it, whatever was hanging in the air.

Jonathan really wanted to run and scream and punch something because everything had fallen apart so fucking fast and he couldn't keep up. Langley flinched when the elevator came to a stop and he almost felt himself tear up. She looked horrible and empty in his arms and he was the one that had let her go in the first place.

He tried not to think about it as he laid her down on a bed and watched David and Brock set her up on some fluids so she wouldn't get anymore dehydrated than she already was.

"Her cuts are deep, but they don't need stitching. They've already started to heal so that's a good sign. The bruising is a few days old, no internal bleeding." David took a deep breath when Murphy stared him down. "Whoever did this, knew what they were doing. They made sure she wouldn't catch infection or bruise so bad that it disabled her."

"They were never going to kill her." Brock spoke up, "They must have been waiting for the right moment to let her go. They broke her."

Jonathan rubbed his face, "Thank you, both of you. Head downstairs and make sure no one else needs patching up. It was rough last night down there, anything could've happened."

They nodded and left the room, which left him, Evan, and Murphy in the quiet room with the ever present beeping of Langley's monitor. Her heart was steady, but she looked lifeless.

"She doesn't need to be alone." Murphy turned on the music player so it wouldn't be silent in the room. "She thinks a lot when it's quiet. It's not good for her. I'll stay. You two need to get back out there and figure out where we all go from here."

Jonathan walked over and brushed Langley's hair away from her face and he felt the guilt again but it was worse. He licked his lips and blinked back faint tears, "I'm sorry."

Then he turned and pulled Murphy into a hug that she was waiting for. "Murph, I'm so fucking sorry."

She squeezed him tight and sighed, "Shut up. It's okay. She's not dead."

"Still . . ."

"Go. We'll be here." She pushed him away and he looked to the door expecting Evan to still be there but he was already gone.

"Are you okay?" Murphy asked when he stood there staring at the empty doorway.

Jonathan looked down at his hands, seeing the dried blood and dirt covering up the scratches Evan had left on his arm from their struggle in the safehouse. Jonathan thought about it and he could remember Evan's hot breath against his face, could taste the spit on his tongue.

He closed his eyes, "No. I'm not."

* * *

Another day passed and everyone was still gathering their wits. They silently met around the furnace of the crematorium in the hospital and watched as the flames engulfed Craig's body, leaving nothing but ash and faint memories and sarcastic responses that resonated in the backs of their minds. He wouldn't be forgotten.

"One day," Scotty spoke quietly. "We'll get the fucker who shot him."

That's what it had been; gunshot to the head. At least it was quick, but no one could say what came before was painless. Only Langley could because she was the only one who knew what had happened. She was still silent, still resting, still gone inside of her head.

"Yeah," Murphy turned to leave. "They'll get what's coming to them."

Things weren't going back to way they were. Not that anyone really wanted it to. No one wanted to forget. They all wanted their own version of revenge. The event didn't break them, only made them stronger. They had more resolve.

Work continued on rebuilding and fortifying the fence and Jonathan noted Evan's efforts, his extra efforts at giving both of them space. If Jonathan was lucky he'd catch his gaze from the corner of his eye, but if he looked his direction, Evan turned away.

He didn't blame him because he had no idea what to do or what to say or how to even start that conversation. Jonathan didn't want to jump into it too fast if Evan needed more time. For once, Jonathan was nervous. So he ran, but it wasn't from Evan or their problems. He ran for the safehouse that it had all happened in. The metal railing of the balcony was warm beneath his fingers as he hopped the edge and walked into the house through the open doors. The table was shifted at a random angle from the moment he had shoved Evan onto it.

Jonathan could feel a different heat crawling down his spine. There was blood on the floor, among other things and that's when he noticed the dead screamer lying cold in the floor of the living room amidst the broken coffee table and shattered trinkets. A bullet to the head and the gun that fired nearby. Evan had dropped it and run as more came after him but what Jonathan was trying to learn was why they were there.

How did they get in?

He and Evan always made triple sure the locks held fast on all the doors downstairs, made sure everything was barricaded. They always made sure they wouldn't be surprised in the middle of the night. So, what did they do wrong?

There was a light shining through onto the stairs that led to the bottom floor of the house. It was something he would've noticed before. He walked down, stepping over another dead one that looked like it had fallen backwards after being shot. Evan's handy work. When he reached the bottom that's where he found it; a crowbar sitting just outside the door in the street. Someone had pried the door open that night, from the outside. It was more than likely the other group that was now clearly trying to sabotage them any chance they got.

Jonathan's heart was still beating a little hard, even harder at the thought that he could've lost Evan that night. He would have if Evan wasn't smart and cautious and quick on his feet. Jonathan would have lost everything and he knew then that Evan had finally become someone he couldn't live without.

He had to fix it and he had to prove to Evan that he wasn't going to cut and run anymore. He had to prove that he had changed and that he was going to let him in. Jonathan was going to let everyone in. It was the one thing Evan always wanted him to do.

* * *

Evan worked himself relentlessly to the point where he was exhausted, but he knew if he tried to sleep, it wasn't going to happen. His clothes were stiff with dried blood and screamer guts and he really couldn't care less. The only thing he cared about was coming through the gate and hesitating when he got too close. Evan didn't even have to look at him to know that he still didn't know what to do. So, Jonathan kept walking and Evan kept working.

There were curious and confused eyes on him as they continued to rebuild the fence, but they never asked and he never spoke a word. Just kept himself busy or else he'd start thinking. He had to give him time, had to give _himself_ time.

Another few hours went by. Most of them were gathered in the lobby, sitting in silence and Evan still hadn't shut his eyes. The exhaustion was really setting in, he could feel it deep in his chest.

Marcel stood and cleared his throat, "I think we can all agree that we need to grab some new clothes and get a shower. It's been days. We're tired, some more than others, and we stink. So, let's go up to the laundry, get clean clothes, a shower, and get ourselves cleaned up. Come on."

It sounded so weird coming out of his mouth. But, trying to fill Langley's place was something no one wanted to do. They were grateful that Marcel even tried, because no one had the motivation to get up and moving again on their own. Langley would've set them straight in minutes. Evan missed her, they all did.

Evan also knew that Jonathan felt responsible for her and everything she'd gone through. He trusted that she would be fine because she believed it herself and to an extent she was fine. She wasn't dead, but she wasn't speaking either. That had them all worried more than anything, Murphy more so. If she wasn't at her bedside, she was with Lui because all the time Langley was gone, Murphy needed someone to lean on and it ended up being him and his humor and kind ways. Lui knew just how to take care of her and he knew what she needed. She could never thank him enough for that.

They piled onto the elevator and Evan opted to take a trip up alone. Too many people in too tight of a space set his nerves off, so he let them go ahead of him. His legs and arms ached as he waited. Lucah licked at his fingers as she stood there with him until the elevator came to a stop.

"I'm fine, girl." He said quietly and she gave a small huff of disbelief. Evan couldn't help but grin down at her.

"Alright." He ran his hands through her hair. "I'm really not okay, but I will be. Just need . . . honestly, I don't know what the fuck I need right now."

The doors opened and he stepped out, a little confused because there were so many people, probably all of the civies, crammed into the large room they used for laundry. Murphy caught his eye and motioned her head to what was inside. Evan stepped to the doorway and stood behind everyone else, but he could see clear as day who they were looking at.

Jonathan was standing up on one of the tables against the far wall so everyone could see and hear him. Evan's legs felt even more weak when he watched him take his mask off and say, "My name . . . . is Jonathan."

Evan's heart was pounding.

"I know that you all are looking to me for answers and I know that I've been avoiding this for as long as I possibly could. But, someone keeps telling me that I need to open up to you and let you know that you have nothing to fear. I care about every single one of you and I'm doing everything I can to keep you and this tower safe until we can figure out how to get out of here. It's been months and I know you're all tired and scared. So am I. I'm scared I'm going to fail you. I'm scared that the people we've lost were lost because of decisions I made. But I have to live with that. Things happen, no one can predict it. I know you all heard the commotion outside the other night, the gunfire, and the screams. But we took care of it and we've rebuilt the fence. You're still safe. From this point on if you need anything, let me know and if you can't find me, tell Lui and he'll relay the message. I am here for every one of you and I apologize for hiding as long as I did. We've all been through a lot and we've all lost something or someone. We are all together in this nightmare. Don't be afraid and especially don't be afraid of _me_."

Jonathan finished and took a breath. That's when he saw Evan standing far away in the doorway, watching him, arms crossed and emotionless before he turned and left. He had no idea what that meant but he didn't have time to think about it because everyone clapped and as he stepped down, began to greet him.

He was caught up with them for so long he knew Evan must have been asleep by the time he broke free of everyone. So, he didn't hunt him down. Instead he found Maria and the kids and for the next hour he sat in the floor and kept them entertained with stories and games. The rescue cat the kids had named Laffy came up to him and got comfortable in his lap.

Jonathan had never been a cat person, but the creature was growing on him. It purred as he stroked it's grey fur and for a moment things felt okay. For a moment things felt like they weren't actually falling apart piece by piece around him while he clumsily attempted to keep it all glued together. He was staring off into space as the kids ran circles around him and he knew Maria could tell exactly what was going through his head. But Jonathan couldn't care. He was wasting time, avoiding the elephant in the room.

* * *

Evan was . . . _lost_.

Lost in his own head as he walked aimlessly through the empty hallways. His footsteps echoed and he was aware of his heartbeat; heavy and tired. But how was he supposed to sleep when he couldn't stop thinking? How was he supposed to shut it all off when his usual remedy was as distant as the fucking sun at the moment?

Evan didn't understand whether or not Jonathan was avoiding him for his own reasons or because he was thinking what Evan was thinking; that they both needed time. Maybe they were both scared to face it but they had to eventually.

Evan stopped and leaned against the cold wall and let himself slide to the floor as he thought endlessly. Jonathan had finally given himself up to the tower, to the people. He showed them who he really was and reassured them that they were safe and that he truly cared. Evan didn't know if he did it for the sake of the situation or if he did it for _him_.

Was he trying to prove something? Because it was working and Evan had hope that Jonathan wasn't going to run anymore. He could tell by the way he had seen him sitting in the floor playing with the kids when he'd walked by earlier. The runner was putting in so much effort all of a sudden to be open with everyone. He was trying to do all the things Evan had tried to push him towards all this time. It was such a different side of him. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

Now all Evan was waiting for was for Jonathan to deal with whatever he was still fighting and come to him. He just didn't know how much longer he could wait before he gave up on the idea that what happened actually meant something and that it wasn't just a heat of the moment, one time thing.

"What are you doing?"

Evan looked up to find Murphy walking his way, looking just as tired and worn out as he did. Except she was one shower and two days cleaner.

"Thinking." He rubbed at his jaw. "How's Langley?"

"Same. She's sleeping for now." She crouched in front of him. "You ready to tell me what's going on?"

He met her stare and he almost couldn't speak because the emotions swelled so fast it shocked him. "No . . . I don't even know what's going on."

He was in a haze thinking about it when she snatched his head to the side and pulled his collar to the side. "Jesus fuck! Are those bite marks?! Were you bit?!"

She was on her knees, eyes an inch away from his now days old wounds and he was close to being amused, but the truth made him feel other wise. He pulled her off and still couldn't find humor in anything. "Yes."

"Evan, why didn't you-"

"Say anything?" He interrupted and got to his feet. "Because these bite marks and the screamer fight the other night . . . let's just say the two things aren't related."

Murphy stood there in a confused stupor while he walked away and Evan grimaced when it clicked in her head.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD."

Luckily, he made it to the elevator before she did.

* * *

It was once again all quiet, no sound but the running water, scrubbing, and rinsing. Scotty pressed his lips to Marcel's clean shoulder and felt himself about to cry.

Marcel noticed, he always did. He turned and wiped at his lips. "What is it?"

Scotty shrugged and let himself cry. "Things aren't gonna get back to normal. They got worse."

"Scott . . . we're going to get through this."

"That could've been you instead of Langley. Could've been you instead of Craig. I don't know what I would've done. I-"

"Baby, look at me." Marcel had his face in his hands. "It wasn't me. I'm right here and you're right here. We're all going to be extra careful from here on out. But we can't predict the future and if it ever is me . . . you're not going to give up. You keep going until you're out of here. Do you understand me?"

Scotty choked but he nodded his understanding. "Yeah."

"Hey. I love you and I'm with you until the end." Marcel kissed him until he stopped crying, until he had him pressed against the cold wet tile wall and they couldn't hear anything else but each other's breathing.

* * *

Jonathan wandered the halls and spent some time on the roof until he was sick of thinking so he made his way back down.

The sick bay was always cold and quiet with David or Brock's occasional footsteps whispering by. Jonathan remembered the last time he spent days in one of the beds, watched over by the one person that felt like a ghost to him at this point. He could still recall it all in vivid detail; Evan's laughter, his smile, his heavy hand resting on his chest.

 _"I'm fine being alone."_

 _"I know. But I don't want you to be."_

Jonathan grinned for a moment, letting it fade as he walked into Langley's room where she was exactly where he left her. He sat in the chair beside her and took her hand. Her eyes were open and she blinked slowly, staring past him.

"Hey, beautiful." Jonathan whispered to her. "I miss you. We all do. I don't know what to do anymore."

He took a breath to keep himself from choking up. "I'm so fucking lost right now. Craig, you . . . and Evan. Everything happened so fast and all at once and it's so . . . I don't know and I don't know how to fix any of it. Craig's been laid to rest but that guilt will never stop weighing on me. You aren't getting better and I still feel like that's my fault. And Evan . . . I don't know where to start. I . . . we had sex. God, no. It wasn't even sex - I snapped, Langley. I hurt him, probably in the worst way that I ever could and then I ran. I ran from the fact that I care about him and that I'm scared to lose him. He's avoiding me and I don't blame him. I just . . . how am I supposed to fix this?"

Jonathan sighed and laid his head on the bed beside her hand and he could've fallen asleep right there but the sudden touch of fingers to his face woke him up entirely. He sat up abruptly and grabbed her hand again as she looked at him with a faint grin.

"You're not carrying this burden alone." Her voice was quiet and sounded overused. "We all share the guilt, me more than others when it comes to Craig. I was right there beside him when it happened."

Jonathan saw her lip quiver and he tucked her hair behind her ear, "Don't talk about it if you're not ready."

She nodded and rubbed her lips together, taking a deep breath before she squeezed his fingers. "And Evan doesn't hate you. I know that's what you're thinking. He's just giving you time and space because that's what he's used to. He's used to you running until you're ready to come back. You can fix it and he's waiting. Evan has always been waiting for you. I think it's about time you stop running. From him at least."

He broke into a smile when she grinned. "Yeah . . . I'm kind of tired of running. From him at least."

Langley gave a small laugh and it was so good to see her smile. He kissed her hand and stood. "Get some more rest."

"Go fix it, Anjo."

He looked down at her and grinned again, "Call me Jonathan from now on."

Langley hummed in approval, "Suits you. Go fix it, _Jonathan_."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

So, there he was finally taking the stairs down, heading straight toward his reason for breathing in the world they lived in. His nerves hadn't twisted into such a horrible knot like this since that time Tyler forced him to ask that guy out at the coffee shop years ago. But this was different and much more serious. This was butterflies and unsteady footsteps as he pushed his way into the lobby. This was feeling almost sick to his stomach as he laid eyes on him from across the room, seeing him tying his shoes that desperately needed to be swapped out for some new ones. This was realizing how much he cared about him when Evan finally looked up and caught his stare as he walked toward him with legs that felt like they were about to give. This was like that first crush everyone had, feeling the heat in his face when Evan stood up, just as nervous but expectant.

 _This was his person._

Jonathan took a breath and as soon as he opened his mouth Lui came running through the front doors.

"There's someone at the gate!" He caught his breath and looked around at everyone's shocked faces.

Jonathan stopped just mere feet from Evan and closed his eyes with an aggravated and defeated sigh, " _God dammit_! What _the fuck_ is it this time?!"

He stormed out the front doors. Lui was right behind him and so was Evan. He made out more than one person standing there hesitantly in the late evening air.

"Who are you and what do you want? You have five fucking seconds before I end every one of you." Jonathan said when he came to a halt, Evan ever present at his side.

There was a man in a black hoodie and as soon as he turned, the hair stood up on the back of Jonathan's neck. " _You_?"

Evan looked at the side of Jonathan's disbelieving face.

Jonathan huffed, "You've got some serious nerve coming here after taking me and Langley both."

Evan moved faster than Jonathan could stop him and he was through the gate, gripping the guy by his jacket, picking him up before he threw him to the ground. Evan fell to his knees and got three punches in before he held his fist, "I should kill you right here for what you did to _him_ , for what you did to _her_ , maybe Craig, too. Give me one reason why I shouldn't make you swallow your own teeth."

The guy gasped for air and spit the blood from his bruised mouth. He held up his hands in surrender, "She wanted me to come here."

"Who?"

"Langley." He coughed around the strong copper taste on his tongue. "Please. I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm just trying to get away from someone who does."

* * *

Langley was on her feet with Murphy's help and she moved steadily down the hall until she felt out of breath.

"Break?"

Langley shook her head, "Not yet. At least let me get to the waiting room."

Her feet slid against the cold tile in the empty dim-lit hallways. The lighting had always hurt her eyes but she never complained. Power-saving was a must and they'd get along fine without it at one-hundred percent.

The waiting room was empty, obviously and it always gave her a serious dose of nostalgia. She was reminded of all the times she spent sitting there, waiting for the news on one relative after another until she didn't have any grandparents left. Or uncles, or aunts . . . _parents_. Her life was one waiting room session and freak accident after the next, endless responsibilities, invisible stress, and the inability to cope with it all.

Not until Murphy came along. Well, she didn't come along, she was always there at the same cafe that Langley went to clear her head. One day Langley was people watching and a guy walked past on the sidewalk with the most perfect ass and she let one word slip and at the same time so did Murphy.

" _Damn_."

They met each other's eyes and both broke into a grin. The rest was history.

They'd both had friends before each other, some they called best. But that was all erased by each other, because neither had met one person so much like themselves. It made everyone they'd ever known shrivel in comparison. From that day they were inseparable, even now amidst the chaos. Though Langley did have the tendency to fall back into her depressive ways every now and then. When Murphy wasn't there all the time she had been held captive, it was harder to come back from what she was stuck in now.

It was harder to try.

"Your hair is pretty dope though." Murphy said quietly when Langley sat in one of the worn out chairs in the small lobby.

Langley couldn't help but grin as she looked out the window as the sky darkened. She really didn't know what to say so she simply stared at the scenery until her mind started to wander which was the last thing she wanted but she knew it would never stop. All those vidid images constantly replayed in her head over and over.

Murphy tucked her behind her ear and let her sit in silence until they heard faint voices; yelling.

Langley glanced down at the ground below and in the dark she could make out a group of people on the other side of the gate. Her heart jumped to her throat and she stood, squinting down at the conflict that was growing below. She watched Evan surge through the gate and jump on the one person she never got the chance to thank.

"Arlan!"

"Langley! Wait!" Murphy reached for her but she was running back down the hall.

* * *

"What do you mean ' _Langley_ '?! You're the one who ambushed her, why would she want you here?!" Evan shook him but the guy didn't have anything else to say. The front doors behind them burst open and out came Langley, running quicker than anyone thought she could in her state.

"Stop!" She stopped only when Jonathan grabbed her in his arms and held her back. She heaved, "Don't hurt him!"

"Why not?" Evan looked back at her in question.

"Because he never hurt _me_! He did what he was told to protect himself and his friends from the boss. He made sure I stayed alive. He kept me from being tortured anymore than I had to be. He kept me from being raped." She felt herself about to cry. "He saved my life."

Her lip shook as she looked up at the man holding her, "Please, Jonathan. I trust him and you need to trust me. He could've been killed for coming here. He just wants sanctuary for his friends, just like the rest of us. This isn't some Stockholm syndrome shit, I swear to you. _Trust me_."

Jonathan saw truth in her eyes and not disillusion. He let her go and nodded, "Okay."

Evan stood and backed away from the guy and let Langley pull him to his feet and into a hug. She finally cried, "You came."

"I did." Arlan grinned against her hair. "I told you they wouldn't be as forgiving as you."

"And I told you I could get you in."

Arlan huffed a small laugh as they pulled apart. He rubbed at his face, "My jaw though . . ."

"Do you blame them?"

He shook his head in understanding, "Nah, I get it."

Evan still had a permanent grimace on his face when Jonathan and Lui started to move back inside, "Come on, it's getting dark."

Jonathan held the door open for the rest of the small group that looked skiddish for good reason, "You all stay in the lobby tonight until I say otherwise."

Arlan was the last to step in behind Langley but he stopped just shy of the entrance and looked up at Jonathan. "Thank you. I honestly don't deserve anything else in this world, but I'll do whatever I need to make it right with you, with her. With everyone."

Jonathan gave him a short nod, but didn't have anything else to say to him at the moment. That conversation would come but there was a more important one he was trying to start with someone else.

Arlan took his place with his people in the lobby where everyone else greeted them. Jonathan gave them orders to keep a close eye on them before he headed for the elevator with Langley, Murphy, and Evan. It was a tense ride but only for the two men aboard. Murphy was too busy hounding Langley for answers to even remember what she'd learned about the two of them.

"What do you mean he helped you?! He's the one that took your gun and hit you upside the head, you idiot!"

Their banter grew faint as they got off on the mess hall floor to get their guests some food and sleeping bags. Evan clearly wanted to follow but Jonathan let his hand grab him by the wrist, stopping him so the doors would close and leave them alone for the first time since that night.

Evan turned and looked over at him and Jonathan still had no fucking idea what to say. He'd thought it all out earlier and it kind of sounded okay, but all that preparation was gone out the window now that Evan was just feet away, looking like hell. Jonathan's lips parted just as soon as the doors opened to the showers, no words were coming out, so he didn't try to force them.

He took Evan by the hand and pulled him along through the door to the showers that were vacant and muggy. He knew neither of them had slept in three days but it was affecting Evan more, he could hardly blink. Jonathan started only one shower and let it get hot while Evan leaned against a wall to keep himself from falling over. Jonathan came back with soap and rags and set them on the tile divider. He helped Evan out of his ruined clothes and ended up just cutting his shirt off him because it was so stiff. Then he moved him slowly to the shower. Evan was growing weaker by the minute, the exhaustion was taking over and the heat settling into his skin from the water only made it more intense. He sagged against the divider for support as Jonathan soaped up a rag and bathed him as gently as he could to keep from hurting what wounds he still had.

Jonathan ran his fingers down his back, getting distracted momentarily and watching the suds run down his thighs. He worked at his hair and scrubbed the dried blood and dirt from his neck. Evan only opened his eyes after he was rinsed off and Jonathan had his face in his hands, running his thumbs over his cheek bones in case he missed something. But he knew he hadn't, he was just trying to convince himself to say something.

Evan saw the water dripping from the tip of Jonathan's nose and the hesitation that was ever present in his eyes, on his lips.

Jonathan finally whispered, "Evan . . . . _I'm sorry_."

Evan sighed, "I know."

"I just want to ask one thing of you."

"What do you want?"

Jonathan held his stare, "A chance to do this right."

Evan didn't know how long he stood there but he couldn't do it for much longer. He was too tired. He closed his eyes and felt himself leaning straight into Jonathan's shoulder. Jonathan held him up, cut the water off, and dried them both off. Jonathan helped him into some sweatpants before leading him to the elevator again.

"You can have it." Evan mumbled.

"What?"

"Your chance."

"Thank you."

"Happy Birthday." Evan groaned and he knees buckled. Jonathan held back a laugh as he hauled him up into his arms before the elevator came to a halt.

"You're a little late on that one."

"Sorry. Can't think right now. I feel like a fuckin' potato." Evan's head rolled onto Jonathan's shoulder while he carried him down the hall to a bunk.

"You feel more like two hundred potatoes to me, but close enough." Jonathan laid him down and pulled the sheet up over him and he backed out of the room. Evan was already gone, mumbling random shit like, "Princess Diaries . . . . Hispanic toothbrushes . . . . pickles?"

"You should be sleeping, too." Marcel touched his shoulder and laughed when Jonathan jumped. "Just me. Seriously though, three days. Evan is delirious as fuck and you can't be far behind. Get some sleep. We got it covered."

Lucah came from behind and pushed her nose against Jonathan's knee to make him move. He looked down at her through squinted eyes, "Schemer. _Fine_."

"Goodnight, man." Marcel gave him a lazy salute like Jonathan had the first day they met, then continued back down the hall. Lucah blew air through her nose and followed the man away, leaving Jonathan alone with Evan again.

For a moment he was set on getting into the adjacent bunk, but the second he saw Evan toss and turn, he changed his mind. It was what he should've done in the first place. Jonathan crawled over him when he was still for a moment and laid down behind him. He slipped his arm beneath the pillow and used his other hand to pull Evan back toward him against his chest.

Evan went from fitful dreaming to calm and steady within seconds and Jonathan soon followed him under.

They didn't set an alarm or ask to be woken up; they just slept. It had been the worst couple of days in pretty much every aspect and Jonathan was done. He was tired of running and just wanted to be grounded for five fucking seconds, needed to catch his breath, needed to secure Evan. Jonathan had to make sure Evan understood what he was trying to say, because he hadn't even really said it. But maybe he could, after they both got some well deserved rest.

Evan woke up twice in the entire fifteen hours they slept. The first time he woke up because he was hot. He pulled his tired legs out from under the sheet and rolled over only to learn there was someone else there. Jonathan breathed in sharply, but didn't wake up. He moved over subconsciously and Evan faced him, getting comfortable again. Jonathan's hand settled on his waist once he went still again. Evan was still too tired to let it all sink in or acknowledge the fact that Jonathan was willingly pulling him closer and letting his lips settle against his hair.

Evan slept some more, waking for the second time to mumbling that turned out to be coming from Jonathan. They had their backs to each other so Evan sat up still in a fog and looked down at him twitching in his sleep saying a name he'd never heard while he slept.

"Evan . . . ."

Jonathan sounded on the verge of tears and Evan felt more awake right then than he had in days. Jonathan moved to his back breathing heavy and tossing his head. "Wait!"

Evan brushed the hair away from his face and took his hand, "I'm right here. Always have been."

Evan felt the man squeeze his fingers just a bit before he settled into a quiet sleep again. So, he laid down and watched Jonathan breathe for a while until he couldn't hold his eyes open anymore.

He dreamed of the shore by a crystal blue ocean and a long lean figure picking up shells in the distance. He could feel the water lapping at his ankles, could smell the salt in the air, could feel the breeze on his face, and he felt himself drawn to the figure just ahead.

He knew who it was, he could feel his presence radiating around him and he could see his smile whenever the man turned around and saw him coming. Jonathan walked his way and Evan was reaching for him and he got the satisfaction of feeling his strong hand slipping into his before he woke up for good.

When he opened his eyes, Jonathan was right there, hand in his staring at him as he blinked, slowly waking up. Evan took a deep breath and ended up yawning. He stretched and looked around. It was daylight, "What time is it?"

"Mm." Jonathan mumbled, "No idea. My watch is on the floor."

Evan felt for it and pulled it up to his face, "Wow. It's almost eleven."

"I could sleep another day." Jonathan grinned when Evan laid back down.

"Me, too." Evan whispered and looked over at him, feeling heat run through his face and all the way down his neck when Jonathan reached up to cradle his jaw. A thumb settled on Evan's lip and he watched the way Jonathan was trying to swallow his guilt.

"I still don't know what to say other than I'm sorry. I'm trying my best to show you that I'm not going to do what I've always done when it comes to you. I'm not gonna run." Jonathan grabbed Evan's fingers again that were resting on his chest. "I don't ever want to see you like that again. Just standing there watching me run away. I hurt you, I know I did and you need to know that I care about you so fucking much that it freaks me out. A part of me still doesn't know how to process it. All I know is that I need you and I can't run from that anymore." Jonathan sighed and licked his nervous lips. "I need to know that you don't hate me for fucking you without your permission and then leaving you standing there like . . . . I don't know, like it didn't mean anything or that you didn't mean anything to me. Because it did and you do and my goddamn fingers are shaking so bad right now. I'm so fucking sorry-"

Evan propped himself up on his arm and looked down at him, pressing his hand over Jonathan's nervous adorable rambling mouth, "Stop. I don't hate you, dumbass and for the record I wouldn't take back that night even if you told me you could get me out of this country tomorrow."

Evan felt him smile beneath his hand and gave him one of his own before he laughed. "Mannnn, you took so fucking long. I'm pretty impressed, dude. I would've let you fuck me five days into us running together."

Jonathan scrunched his brows, "Seriously?"

Evan pulled his hand away, "Yeah, seriously. You were so hot, _are_ so hot. Didn't want to talk to me, didn't want me around. It was adorable, Mr. Lonesome and Independent." Evan snorted.

"Shut up." Jonathan laughed with him and let it fade. He curled up close to him and buried his face against his arm. "You're the reason I'm not anymore and I'm probably always going to be sorry that I hurt you."

"Well, despite the fact that it was my first time with a guy . . . it was the hottest thing I've ever done. Yeah, it hurt at first like I knew it would, but once you got going, shit . . . never wanted you to stop. You didn't even have to touch me and I was already done."

Jonathan held him even tighter and breathed him in, "I know."

Evan ran his fingers over his arm, up his shoulder and felt him shiver when he left a feather-light touch down his spine. "Don't fall asleep again."

"Too late." Jonathan mumbled against Evan's skin, "Already halfway there."

"Hm." Evan could watch him all day, he was so different and he wasn't used to it. But he liked it and he was getting anxious thinking about the possibilities that had opened up to him. To both of them. Jonathan's true personality was finally bleeding through and Evan was more than willing to drown in it. As long as Jonathan never ran from him again.

Evan settled and they fell asleep against each other again until the sun went down and someone was shaking them gently awake. But it wasn't someone, it was a big white slobbery animal that forced her way in between them and flipped and flopped until they had no choice but to move.

"Lucahhhh." Evan droned but rubbed her belly nonetheless.

Jonathan giggled to himself before he sat up and started crawling out of the tiny bunk. He stopped when he was above Evan and leaned down close as if to kiss him but he didn't. He watched the pink spread across Evan's face before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his chest instead. Then he got out of the bed and stretched, "Come on, I'm hungry."

Evan was staring at the ceiling for a moment before he rubbed his face and sat up, "Yeah, I'm coming. Lucah, let's go get a snack."

At the word 'snack' she beat them down the hall and was pawing at the elevator door anxiously. They were still shirtless, riding up the metal box yawning relentlessly. Evan felt an intense ache in his gut when Jonathan ran the back of his fingers down his spine. Evan looked over at him just as he pulled up his other hand and ran his fingers over the bruises on his chest left by the very nails that were running over them. Jonathan grazed the bruises on his neck and sighed, "They look tender."

"They are."

"I'm sorry."

Evan shrugged, "I'm not."

Jonathan let his other hand slip ever so slightly beneath Evan's waistband right at the swell of his hip. He would've kept going because he was loving the way Evan's chest got red when he was flustered, but the doors opened. He gave him a crooked grin as he stepped out, leaving him to catch his breath.

Evan bit at the inside of his mouth and took a deep breath to calm his nerves that Jonathan was amazing at working up. " . . . _fuck_."

They ate quietly and Evan still couldn't calm his heart. His nerves were in a never-ending knot because Jonathan was being . . . _sweet_. So fucking sweet and it was blowing his mind because it was all directed at him. When they walked, Jonathan stayed by his side letting their fingers brush keeping a small grin on his face.

He looked happy and that made Evan feel a little bit high. It was something he never thought he'd see; Jonathan in an almost permant good mood. Never thought he'd see what was really on the inside of that rough, tortured demeanor.

It was still processing that it had to do with _him_. That Jonathan liked him, _wanted_ him. Evan knew he had fallen for him, but he didn't realize just how hard until Jonathan packed them both a bag, carried them both so Evan wouldn't hurt the bruises on his neck. He didn't know how much he wanted this before because now he had it and all he could feel were his fingers shaking and legs wanting to give each time Jonathan grinned, or smiled, or let his hands linger on him a little bit longer as he helped him up to the rooftops.

"So, what do we do now that Langley is back? Those fucks are still out there, they killed Craig, and it's only a matter of time before they try something else." Evan pondered as they jogged down in the streets after filling up a drop box for the second time that evening. The sun was almost completely gone and they weren't tired for obvious reasons, so they kept going, using the energy they still had to give.

"I have no idea." Jonathan stated honestly and slowed to a walk before he reached for a fire escape and began climbing. "I'm not going to pretend that I know what I'm doing right now, because I'd be lying. But I know we'll figure it out eventually. We always do. Do you have any ideas?"

Evan brushed the butterflies off again after Jonathan helped him up and let his hand run down his arm. "Not really. Nothing that doesn't involve someone probably dying."

"What's new?" Jonathan chuckled to himself and Evan was loving it, this lighthearted man that was actually quite warm and carefree. He thought he was charming before in his own way, but now he was so much more. It was like opening a package you ordered only to find that they put something else inside that was even better than what you were expecting it to be.

"I'm actually getting tired of this shit." Evan spoke mindlessly as they moved steadily through the favela's outskirts, "Like, this entire cliché faction shit. A well off group getting sabotaged and ambushed by the other less fortunate asshole group for no fucking reason. They could've just asked for help, you know?"

"I know. That's what I told him." Jonathan glanced over at him, "Whenever they had me. The thing is, he didn't seem violent. Just determined to be the one that had the upper hand and I still don't understand why. This isn't a battle of the fittest. We're all just trying to stay alive while we figure out how to get out. For him, it's like this is it, this is all we have and he wants to be the one on top of it all."

Evan nodded, "Yeah, I got that impression."

"Sometimes I feel like this is all for nothing and we're just wasting our time doing leftover sidequests in a game that's already over. But then I remember all the people I've met and I think about you." Jonathan shrugged and Evan saw him grin to himself, "And I remember it's not so pointless."

Evan smiled so hard it hurt and he laughed, grabbing Jonathan by the arm when they slowed to a stop outside of a familiar safehouse, "Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying I'm like a never-ending sidequest?"

"Yeah, like the last one you have left, but it glitches and stays on your map like a fucking fly in your ear and it never goes away." Jonathan snorted on a laugh and dodged Evan's hands.

"Thanks, asshole. I didn't know I meant that much to you. You're the attractive main character who tries to act tough but is an actual cinnamon roll by the fifth mission." Evan teased and followed him across the roof and up to the second level of housing.

"You're the persistent squadmate that I always take me because your dialogue is entertaining to listen to. The one that would be awesome to romance but the game creators were too chicken shit to make a bisexual character and give the player realistic options."

"The struggle." Evan followed him over the same rail he'd watched him jump over a few nights ago.

The safehouse had been cleaned since that day apparently. There was no longer blood on the floor and all the things that had fallen of the wall were gone. The broken coffee table wasn't there anymore and the screamers were nowhere to be seen.

"Did you do all of this?" Evan inquired while Jonathan opened a can of peaches and pulled out two plastic forks.

He offered one to Evan with a grin, "I did."

"Why?"

Jonathan looked around and then shrugged, "I like this place. Bad memories."

He observed the look on Evan's face then added, "And good ones. Really, really good ones."

Evan smirked and took a slice of peach before he tossed his things on the table he had got up close and personal with once upon a time. He tapped his finger against the wood and swallowed the fruit. "So, did you figure out how those screamers got in here?"

"Door downstairs."

"That we locked?"

Jonathan nodded, turned around, and came back with a crow bar. "That's how they got in. Someone made it easy for them."

"Can't say I'm surprised. But I am, kind of." Evan sighed and scratched his head. "I wish we had those little remote cars that you can drive into enemy territory and then detonate."

"We could always ask the military for some."

"Sure. They're pretty generous with bullets. Why not?" Evan smiled and felt it fading with the distance between them. It was growing smaller and the heat was coming in waves. Jonathan stepped past him and looked outside the glass doors that they still had wide open. The air was getting colder and he thought about his life before and the little things that made him who he was.

"Whenever it got cold outside back home, my sisters would complain about the room feeling like the North Pole because I had to sleep with the fan on. So, I got the box fan from the shed and put it at the foot of my bed and I've had one ever since. The sound drowns out everything else and it's just enough wind to move your hair. Puts you to sleep better than medicine. I miss that." Jonathan felt goosebumps rising on his arms as the breeze rolled over him.

"I had a heating blanket once. It caught on fire in the middle of the night and sometimes I wish it had burnt the house down so we'd have to move because the neighbors had this little dog that barked all fucking night and I could never sleep." Evan said and he could see Jonathan smiling as he looked out into the night. The sun was going and sky was the color of peaches that had sat out too long. It faded to purple and a pretty blue and Evan's mouth felt dry when Jonathan turned his head to look at him.

"You should've had a box fan."

Evan grinned and followed him to the couch where they got comfortable on opposite ends, their legs tangled together. Jonathan lit a candle on the side table he'd set in the place of the coffee table they'd broken. It gave the room a soft glow and put deep shadows on their faces.

"This reminds me of that one bad hurricane we had that came up the East coast and flooded everything for weeks. The power went to shit and Tyler was with me. Our house wasn't as close to the shore as his was so his family stayed with us. It was so fucking cramped but it was fun. No one could sleep so we lit a bunch of candles and had battery powered fans blowing. We played cards in a circle in our living room floor and went through six bags of beef jerky." Jonathan caught himself smiling at the memory, "Tyler had this thing where if he laughed too hard he'd weeze. That's all anyone heard that night other than the storm."

Evan licked his lips and smiled with him, "Sounds like a fun guy."

"He was. I miss him." Jonathan picked at his nails and then looked back up, "We were here for a soccer game, our favorite team at their home stadium, couldn't get much better than that and we both had always wanted to come here. It was his birthday present from me. We were in Maria's small shop when it happened. I was trying on that mask and the ground shook once with the jets, then again when they bombed the stadium. We waited until the crowds died down then we headed back to the garage where I'd parked the rental car. I'll never forget the look we gave each other right before another bomb hit two buildings away. It took out half the garage and I was lucky I wasn't trapped under anything. All I had was a hurt arm but Tyler . . . . he was under the car and I tried so fucking hard."

Jonathan stopped and cleared his throat to keep from crying. Evan had a hand on his foot and he rubbed a small circle over his ankle with his thumb, trying to comfort him as best he could for the time being. Jonathan reached for something under the couch and pulled out a tiny stone figurine. "He knew how much I loved these little things. Small hand-carved statues, so much detail in something so small. Tyler gave it to me and told me to run and I haven't stopped running ever since."

"I'm sorry."

Jonathan swallowed, "Yeah, me too. I ran and I ran straight into you and a part of me wants to think that it's fate because Tyler always wanted me to find my person. The one that I'd finally be happy with, the one that made me feel complete from top to bottom. He always wanted that for me more than anything. I just think it's funny that I found you five minutes after I lost him. Kind of makes me -"

Evan pushed himself forward and caught his mouth with his own, shutting him up. He'd wanted to do this for so long that it kind of hurt to be kissing him as slow and soft as he was. But Evan didn't want to lead, he wanted Jonathan to take over and tear him apart.

Jonathan sat up never taking his lips off his. To Evan's surprise Jonathan was gentle, running his hands up his back, making him shiver with anticipation. They were both already aroused and Evan rolled his hips down on his and Jonathan let out a small breath. Evan smelled faint peaches and felt the heat creeping up his neck as Jonathan pressed his lips against his chest. Evan ran his hands through Jonathan's hair and tilted his head back for another wet kiss.

They broke apart and Jonathan whispered, "Come on."

Evan sat back and Jonathan stood, taking the candle in one hand and Evan's hand in the other. He led them to the bedroom where a queen sized bed was waiting covered in lush colorful blankets. It was much bigger than they were used to. Jonathan hummed deeply, "Thank God these people were well off."

Evan grinned but it disappeared as soon as Jonathan looked back at him, "You're shaking. Why are you shaking?"

Evan huffed and shook his head, "I have no idea."

"We don't have to do this -"

Evan laughed, "No, it's not that. Of course I want to do this. This is just . . . you're so different."

Jonathan stepped closer in the dim candlelight and Evan saw it flicker in his eyes, "Is that a bad thing? Because I'll take off running of that's what you want, just say the word."

Evan slowly smiled because he knew Jonathan was fucking with him. "No. It's a good thing."

"Good." Jonathan ran his knuckles up Evan's stomach before he took his face in his hands and kissed him for all he was worth. Their tongues slid smoothly against one another's and Evan felt hands slipping into his sweatpants, lightly squeezing his ass. His knees hit the bed and Jonathan laid him down, letting his mouth leave soft kisses over his chest, over the bruises he'd once made. He stood back and pulled Evan's pants off his legs until he was laid out before him, stark naked and tan, tattoos littering his worn body.

 **Listen to: MISSIO - Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea**

Jonathan stepped out of his own sweats then crawled up Evan's long form that was still a little shaky. His legs parted for him, making room so his body could fit against his. Jonathan found his mouth again and licked his bottom lip before slipping his tongue inside. Evan was breathing harder by the second, using his hands to pull Jonathan's hips down, rolling his own to meet him in the middle. He gave a small whine at the subtle friction.

Jonathan moved to his ear and kissed the sensitive skin just below, "Shh."

Evan was breathless, " _God_."

"Not quite." Jonathan whispered and moved down the bed, mouthing at the soft skin of Evan's inner thigh, feeling him shake even harder at the touch. He reached for a small bottle of oil at the foot of the bed just as he settled above Evan's flushed cock. He watched Evan's chest heave right before he took him in his mouth and swallowed him whole.

"Oh, fuck . . ." Evan's hands gripped the covers beneath him and his toes popped when he curled them in. Jonathan was slow and steady, giving him just enough but not too much. He wanted it to last this time and not have a repeat of their last quick fuck. As much as he liked the idea of wrecking Evan on top of a table, he wasn't going to hurt him this time around. He was going to do it right.

Jonathan kept his mouth on him while he popped open the lid to the oil with one hand. He poured a generous amount onto his fingers, running one hand up Evan's smooth stomach, rubbing at his hole with the other. Evan pushed down on his fingers, so Jonathan gave him one slowly, gently working it in until he could move in and out with ease. Evan was wet in his mouth, the salty taste was strong on Jonathan's tongue. So he slowed down even more, waiting for Evan to relax just a bit, then he slipped another finger in.

Evan arched his back, hitting the back of Jonathan's throat but he took it. He pushed his fingers as far as they would go, then he rubbed, almost losing his own breath at the sound Evan made. He kept at it until Evan arched even more, close.

Jonathan pulled away and smiled down at him when Evan sighed like he was disappointed. "Tease."

"I just want it to last." Jonathan let him cool down for a minute before he slicked himself up with oil and wiped his hand off on the sheet. He tugged Evan closer by his hips and watched his face for any hesitation. Jonathan grinned when Evan gave him an impatient wiggle.

"Take a deep breath." Jonathan instructed as he line himself up, ready to push. He waited for Evan to breathe, keeping his hands on his hips to steady him, "Now let it go and relax."

Evan exhaled and Jonathan pushed himself forward, just the tip. He rocked his hips slowly, not going any further in just yet. "Another deep breath and let it go."

Evan relaxed once more, breathing out just as Jonathan pushed in even further, filling him up. The pressure still felt so foreign but the more Jonathan moved the smoother it got. He fell forward and hovered over him, rocking his hips in a focused rhythm. Evan reached up for his face and brought him down, tangling their tongues. Jonathan moved a little faster and Evan brought his legs up a little higher.

"That's so good," Evan mumbled against his lips.

"Yeah?"

"Fuck, yeah." Evan moaned and dug his fingers into smooth skin, "Just like that."

They moved together for a while, just enjoying the feeling and Jonathan was on the verge of saying something really stupid, but he held his tongue and looked down at him instead. He watched the way Evan never took his eyes off of him, watched the way he calmed his breathing so he'd last a bit longer.

Evan caught him off guard and shifted their weight, rolling them and putting himself on top. Jonathan didn't argue, just gave a small chuckled and pushed himself back until he sitting with his back against the headboard. Jonathan leaned forward and mouthed at his neck while Evan rolled his hips and rode him.

"Slow." Jonathan gripped his sides and controlled his movements until he was sliding off of him almost too slow. It was close to torture and he felt his own breath coming quicker, but Evan obeyed and set a pace that made it feel like he was the one teasing him now. Jonathan looked up and Evan was smirking at him in the candlelight.

"Like that?" Evan asked in a deep voice. Jonathan let out a heavy breath and jerked his hips up hard. Evan nearly screamed. Jonathan flicked his tongue against one of his nipples and he could hear his nails on the headboard when Evan gripped it even harder. Jonathan snapped his hips in time to Evan's cries and he knew it almost over for both of them.

He knew when Evan abandoned the headboard and grabbed at his hair, breathing like he was running from something. Jonathan wrapped his arms around him and brought his legs up, finding leverage and moving his hips as fast and hard as they would go. They had slid down with the motion and Jonathan was on his back. Evan clawed at his chest and sucked in a lung full of air when Jonathan took his cock in his hand and pulled him to his release. Evan finally let his breath out in a loud moan that never stopped because Jonathan didn't. Jonathan's hips kept snapping until they faltered and he was coming, breath hitching while Evan fell forward, shaking harder than he ever had.

Jonathan slowed to a stop trying to catch his breath. Evan fell to the side and they laid there for an eternity just breathing. Jonathan was tracing the inside of Evan's palm, feeling his fingers twitch every so often and he had that urge again to say something completely stupid. Something along the lines of 'I love you'. But again, he kept his mouth shut.

Evan cleared his throat and for whatever reason he started to giggle, slowly breaking into a full on laugh that he couldn't control. Jonathan rolled to his side and looked over at him, "What is so funny?"

Evan shook his head and wiped at his eyes, "No idea."

Jonathan just smiled and as soon as he calmed down, he leaned down and kissed him. Evan was still giggling, the vibrations ran through to his lips. He pulled at Jonathan's lip with his teeth and ended up rolling him back again until he was straddling his waist once more.

He grinned down at him crookedly, "Let's do it again."

Jonathan smiled with a small laugh, "Nothing is ever easy with you is it?"

Evan leaned down, hands on either side of his head, "Are you complaining?"

Jonathan leaned up and caught his lips and at the same time pulled Evan's hips down against his, ready to go again, "Fuck no."

* * *

There was something about a cold early morning that sang to Evan's soul. It was like the times he'd stay at his grandmother's house in the woods. He'd be the first to rise, fixing himself a small cup of hot chocolate because she's never let him have her coffee. The front porch would crackle and groan beneath his feet and the cold would bite at his toes. The crisp air would fill his lungs, so fresh and awakening. As he'd sit on the top step, the birds would sing, leaving echoes in the trees, bouncing back in harmony. That pale light of day was always so beautiful as it crept through the pines and his breath as it clouded in the air and disappeared.

There was also something about the way that same light caught Jonathan's eyes and he let himself get lost in it when he finally opened them. Evan was on the verge of saying it, that stupid phrase but he held his thoughts and brushed his fingers through the man's hair instead.

"Hey," Jonathan said in a gravelly voice thick with sleep. Evan loved it.

"Hey," Evan whispered back before he smiled down at him. "It's time to run."

Jonathan shut his eyes and groaned. Evan laughed fondly when the man grabbed him and pulled him close, yanking the blanket over them both. "Sleepy time."

"God, you are fucking adorable."

* * *

They both felt pretty damn good as they set out to the rooftops again, the sun warming their skin in the cool morning air. Evan smiled every time Jonathan looked at him.

Evan hoped that this would last forever because he couldn't imagine ever finding anything as good and wholesome as Jonathan was.

Jonathan hoped that this would last forever because he was never good at keeping things. But Evan was something he wanted to keep close and safe for as long as humanly possible.

They were emptying their bags in a drop box when the radio buzzed on Jonathan's side. It was Lui.

"Are you guys close by?"

Jonathan brought the radio to his lips, "Pretty close, why?"

"We need you guys back here as soon as possible." There was a hint of urgency in his voice and Jonathan caught Evan's eye. Evan gave him a dramatic sigh of annoyance. They both had a hunch.

Jonathan rubbed his face and almost laughed, "Let me guess. Someone else is at the gate?"

"Yep."

"Alright. We'll be there." Jonathan reattached the radio to the strap on his bag and he looked over at Evan squinting against the sun.

Evan rolled his neck and stretched his arms, "New sidequest?"

"New sidequest." Jonathan walked over and gave him a quick kiss that left him smiling. "Come on."

They were only a quarter-mile away so they made it down the side of a building, jumped to a dumpster, and stirred up dirt when their feet hit the ground. They fell into a synchronized sprint, turning corners together with ease. They were one with each other and Jonathan knew right then that he loved him.

They took the last turn that led them straight to the gate, to their new visitor that actually turned out to be three visitors, two of which were familiar.

Bryce and Ryan heard their footsteps coming up behind them so they turned from where they were standing at the gate, a look of shock and relief flooding them both. But the man in the middle was one they'd never seen before. He was a man made of height, muscle, and discipline; military.

He and Evan slowed to a walk and the guy finally turned with his arms crossed, shoulders held back proudly. A smiled stretched across his face and Evan already hated him.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the calvary finally arrived." The man held his hands out in mock praise. His beard only made him look like more of a douchebag. "Now that the boys in charge are present, shall we begin?"

Jonathan took a deep breath and stepped forward. He could finally make out the name on the man's uniform, standing out in clean pristine white lettering.

 _L. Patterson_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Songs for this chapter:**  
 **Depeche Mode - Dream On**  
 **Imagine Dragons - Believer**

"Will you just listen to me?" Murphy pleaded with her best friend but Langley wasn't having it.

"I _have_ been listening to you. You're the one that needs to listen to me. I trust him. You weren't there and you don't know what happened. I do. You need to lay off this because I've said all I'm going to say." Langley stated with finality and crossed her arms waiting for a retaliation but Murphy just have her a disbelieving look before she turned and left the lobby. Lui took off after her and the lobby fell back into it's normal mood of quiet conversation and weapon cleaning.

Arlan felt like a fish out of water with the stares he kept receiving, but he didn't expect anything less. It had only been a day and it was just starting. These people had a good routine and strong defenses. He was grateful for that because that's all he wanted for his friends; a safe place to stay.

"Langley, this is Cody and Anthony." He introduced her to two of his group when she walked over, still looking beyond tired. But there she was, strong as ever, doing her best to get back to normal.

She smiled and offered her hand to them which they shook in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"Cody here is fantastic with tech, any tech and he's happy to help you guys with anything you need. Anthony is pretty good with medicine, science, whatever you need, really." Arlan grinned back at them when they tried to be humble about it. "This is why I wanted to keep them safe. The boss never knew about their skills. I told them to play dumb so he wouldn't exploit them for his own gain."

"That's extremely smart of you. Most of the group here doesn't mind you and I know they'll warm up eventually or I'll kick their asses. Murphy is a different story but I don't know what to do about it yet."

Arlan rubbed his lips together, "She's probably a little hurt that her best friend is spending more time down here with me, an untrusted outsider, rather than confiding in her."

"I do confide in her, she's just a hothead and sometimes there's no reasoning with her. She'll come around after a bit, I'm sure."

Arlan tilted his head, "Are you?"

Langley sighed, "No."

"Go talk to her. We'll still be here." Arlan gave her arm a reassuring squeeze and watched her leave.

Langley rode the elevator to the mess hall where she knew Murphy would be somewhere in the kitchen searching for some sort of food. They both liked to sneak up there at night and eat something and make sweet tea. She could hear Lui doing his best to calm her down but she kept on rummaging through the shelves for something to stress eat on.

"Murphy, stop." Langley made her presence known and she and Lui both turned to look at her.

"What? You're not down there with your knew friend?" Murphy rolled her eyes and kept digging.

"No, I'm right here with my best friend who's being extremely emotional and dramatic, as usual." Langley crossed her arms and gave Lui an apologetic look when he left the kitchen to the two of them.

"Murphy, he's not taking me away from you. You are still my best friend and we are family. You are the only person I can ever be myself with, we know all of each other's nasty secrets. This isn't coming between us."

Murphy found some teabags and slammed a kettle on a burner, flicking the heat on. Langley immediately turned it down a bit like she always did, "Too high."

"Listen, if you want to go be with him and talk your heads off, be my guest. I'll just be here keeping myself busy. I'll stay out of your way." Murphy said with too much bite.

"Enough!" Langley raised her voice. "I can't handle all of them downstairs and handle you when you're like this at the same fucking time!"

"Then don't! Not like you tell me anything anymore anyway!" Murphy let herself tear up. "Fuck!"

Langley brushed her hair away from her face and tried to calm down, "You're on your period."

She didn't mean it as a sexist remark, she could just always tell. Murphy's emotions always got out of hand when it was that time.

Murphy rubbed at her face, "Yes and I want to die."

"No, you don't. You just want me to talk to you about what happened to me. You want me to rely on you to tell me that it's okay. But it's not. I don't know how to tell you that I can't fucking sleep because I can't stop seeing myself in the dirt, hands tied behind my back, while Criag was getting the life knocked out of him. I don't know how to tell anyone that the reason he died was because he told them he was valuable, the last tech we had. He got his brains blown out because I couldn't get him to stop talking, it was like he wanted them to do it. Like he knew they wouldn't let me go if they didn't kill someone that we needed as payback for not getting David. I don't know how to tell everyone that I wished it was me instead because I was such an asshole to him from the beginning and he died for me. He told me I was worth it, that you all needed me more than they needed him and I was worth saving. He died for me and I don't know how to live up to that. I can't because I'm not important enough to . . ."

Langley sucked in a lung full of air and cried and that's all it took for Murphy to come down from her angry state and forget it all. She wrapped her up in a hug and followed her to the floor when she slid down. "You are important. You have no idea what it was like without you here. Everyone was so quiet, didn't know what to do without you telling them to get their asses out of bed. I didn't know what to do. I had no one to talk to about how gay Evan and Jonathan are, no one to share my sweet tea with. I can't even make it right, it was awful. So, don't think you're not important because we needed you. Craig was a fucking hero and yeah we were assholes, but that was how it was. He made it right in the end and that's all that matters."

They sat in silence until they stopped sniffling and the kettle started whistling. Murphy stood and pulled Langley to her feet, cutting the heat off and letting the tea steep.

"Lui seems to handle you well."

Murphy grinned, "Yeah, he's about the only one. His dimples are fucking adorable. I was pissed at Jonathan for the longest time."

Langley laughed but jumped when Murphy gasped and grabbed her shoulders, "Oh my God! I forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"Jonathan!" Murphy threw her head back and laughed, it was almost sinister. "And Evan. I've got some serious gossip. Holy shit."

"Then let's discuss it over this tea. Get the sugar." Langley wiggled her brows and they fell back into their normal ways of spilling tower secrets to each other. "Besides, if you're on your period that means I'll start in a day or two and no one is ever ready for both of us in beast mode. So let's cheer ourselves up shall we?"

Langley knew their friendship wouldn't falter. It never did no matter how many times they fought. But still, Langley was haunted and she couldn't shake the feeling she had when she was alone. Just ten seconds of silence was all she needed for an anxiety attack to settle in, for her breath to fall short as she headed down the empty hall toward the showers. Ten seconds for her chest to ache and fingers to waver. She couldn't get the shirt off her shoulders fast enough, it felt like it was suffocating her. She sat on the bench, head in her hands and cried as she hyperventilated in the room that actually felt cold for once.

* * *

 _"Craig . . . stop talking!"_

 _"I'm the last technician they have. Figured I_ _could sabotage you fucks somehow, but low and behold; a bear trap." Craig laughed._

 _Langley was about to choke. It was a lie, he was working them up. Stirring the flames, trying to make her seem less valuable than he was._

 _"Craig! Shut up!"_

 _The man in charge lifted her face up by her chin roughly, "Wouldn't that be unfortunate? If the last good pair of working hands your friends had suddenly disappeared?"_

 _Langley couldn't speak, just breathed trying not to let her heart jump from her chest. "Don't . . ."_

 _He pulled Craig to his knees and she looked over when she heard the cock of a pistol. Her pistol that they'd taken and she couldn't look away when Criag caught her eye and grinned. Like he was saying, "It's okay, this was the plan."_

 _She couldn't look away when he pulled the trigger and the spray of blood_ _rained on the side of her face. Everything felt numb after that moment, her legs, her fingers, and her mind._

 _This was her fault_.

* * *

"Hey."

She opened her eyes and Arlan was crouched in front of her, "Deep breaths. Through your nose. You're okay."

Langley shut her eyes tight and breathed, her hands over his when he put them on either side of her face.

"That's good, keep breathing." He said softly and sat there with her until she wasn't choking on the air any longer.

She sighed heavily and gave a short laugh, "Sorry."

"Anxiety is nothing to be sorry for. I deal with it, too. It's been a while. I had to swallow it when all this shit started. I don't know how I haven't given in yet. I'm close all the time."

She pulled his hands away and pushed his hood down. "Because you are strong and a leader to your people."

Arlan grinned, "So are you. I didn't mean to interrupt your shower. Marcel told us to come up and get one if we wanted. I have to say, I don't even remember what a hot shower feels like."

"Well, you're in luck. We have plenty to go around." She smiled and showed him to the towels, rags, soap, and told him to help himself while she undressed and started her own shower.

He walked past and turned away, "Do you always strip in front of strangers?"

Langley almost snorted just as soon as he let his friends in the room, "We've all seen each other naked. We don't even care anymore. Scotty has a mole on his left ass cheek and Lui has a heart tattoo that probably says 'Mom'."

Arlan's friend Anthony burst into laughter and everyone else joined him. It was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

* * *

The sun was completely up by the time they were done and getting dressed. It was in that moment while they were all chatting and laughing with each other that Langley realized she couldn't stand there and wait for the next day or the next. She had to do something because now they had more people to protect.

"What are you doing?" Scotty questioned Langley as soon as she grabbed a gun off the wall and tucked a pistol into her waist.

Marcel stepped up beside him, "And where are you going?"

"I'm going back. We have guns, they only have two. Take these fuckers out before they come up with another brilliant idea." Langley checked the safety and slung the rifle over her shoulder and headed through the lobby.

"I'm down." Murphy loaded up next to her at the same time Arlan blocked the door.

"He's smart and he's probably waiting for this. More than likely planned on it." He said even though he knew she wouldn't stop.

"Good. Then he'll be disappointed when I kill him." She pushed her way out the door with Murphy, Lui, and four other volunteers behind her.

"Fine. I'm coming with you." Arlan fell into step beside her. She pulled the pistol from her waist and handed it to him without hesitation. But Murphy was in his ear in a split second.

"If you end up turning on us, or on her, I'll personally rip your balls off. Got it?" She whispered the threat and smiled sweetly when he turned to look at her.

He chuckled and shook his head as they kept walking through the gate, "Got it, boss lady."

Their march was one of determination. Langley turned and saw Scotty and Marcel jogging to catch up, guns in hand. A grin spread across her face but fell as soon as she saw a guy walk from an alley just ahead.

"Not so fast, sweetheart." He said smugly, decked out in military garb, sporting two pistols, each pressed to the side of two people's heads. Bryce and Ryan, both of which had been gone ever since she was taken herself.

She stopped and sighed, " _Fuck me_."

He smirked, "Maybe later."

"I'd rather blow a screamer, asshat." She remarked and heard Murphy snort behind her. "What do you want?"

"I want to know where your two leaders are. Then we'll talk. And if you think of gunning me down with that cute powder puff army of yours, I'll toast your two friends right here who have kept us company for quite a while now. I'd miss them." The man smiled and watched Langley roll her eyes.

"One day at a time." She said to herself and then turned. "Everybody back to the tower. Lui try to get the boys on the radio, please. Can't catch a goddamn break around here."

Reluctantly they all headed back and shut the gate, leaving the military guy, Bryce, and Ryan on the other side until Jonathan and Evan showed.

"They're close by and on their way." Lui told Langley as she stood by the fence waiting.

She looked over and caught Bryce's tired eyes. "Are you two okay?"

He looked disheveled and weak when she was so used to seeing his mile-wide smile. "We're alive. Ryan needs a doctor. His leg is infected from a break and they wouldn't patch it up."

She looked over at Ryan who was trying to grin through the pain to make it seem like it wasn't so bad, but he was pale and favoring one leg. "We're gonna fix you up, just be patient okay? They're coming."

He nodded and the three of them turned when they heard footsteps approaching from behind. Evan and Jonathan slowed to a walk beside each other, looking weary and completely tired of this shit like everyone else.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the calvary finally arrived. Now that the boys in charge are present, shall we begin?"

Evan cracked his fingers, "Sure thing, Major Payne. Anything we can help you with?"

"I'm Sergeant Major Luke Patterson. You boys can call me Luke since I know we'll be the best of friends. I'm here to balance the playing field to my liking." Patterson smirked and let it settle.

Evan moved forward, "So, what's to stop us from mowing you down at this very moment?"

Luke grinned, "You boys so much as accidentally fire your weapon at me and this whole tower goes up in a gorgeous display of smoke and fireworks; a blaze of glory. That's what's gonna stop you."

He holstered his two pistols and brushed his hands together, "So, this is how it goes. You will give up half of your weapons to your best friend the boss man who has a knack for kidnapping some of you, or poor Ryan here can stay with me and will more than likely die from infection. I'm sure Bryce would be pure heartbroken if that were to happen. You wouldn't rid him of his best friend now would you? I think we all know how that goes, don't we?"

Evan could feel the heat coming off Jonathan when he moved past him. He stepped up to Patterson and didn't flinch. "How about we lower the request? Give them as many guns as they have men and then you can fuck off. Sounds a bit more fair to me."

"Hm." Luke gave a small laugh. "Well, seeing as they have two arms, let's give 'em one pistol and a rifle each. In total, that's fifteen pistols, fourteen rifles. Mix it up and give one of 'em a shotgun. My favorite."

"So this is all a game for you, huh?" Jonathan inquired, still not backing down from him.

"For some." Luke rubbed his beard. "This is just the day shift for me. So get your weapons, my men will deliver them, and I'll go on my lunch break."

Luke turned and walked toward the gate and snapped his fingers at Langley, "Open up, gorgeous."

She rolled her eyes but unlocked the gate when Jonathan gave her the go ahead. Patterson gave her a wink as he walked in and took a seat at the steps.

Langley stepped past him and sneered. "Suck my ass, fuckboy."

"I'd suck that ass any day, babe."

Langley clenched her fist but Jonathan turned around and shook his head. She pouted, "Just let me hit him one good time, pleaaase?"

"You have no idea how fucking bad I want you to, but we can't risk anything. Help Ryan up to the clinic. He needs to be treated as soon as possible." Jonathan walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "When the time is right, you can knock the fuck out of him, but now isn't the time."

"Okay, _Dad_." She groaned and headed for the elevator, helping Bryce hold Ryan up as he limped, grimacing with each step he took.

"Let's get these guns and get this over with." Jonathan wiped the sweat from his brow and opened the door to the stairs with Evan, Lui, and Marcel behind him.

Marcel spoke up, "So, there's no other option here?"

"No." Evan shook his head and held open the door to the second floor for them. "It's, give them the guns or they keep Ryan and Bryce, which Ryan is in bad shape and would probably die without us. Also can't just shoot the guy and run because he's military, high ranking, and says if he goes the tower goes and all of us in it. So, he tried to make it sound like we had options but we didn't _really_ have options."

"Dick move." Lui commented. "Also, I was totally right. We must be some kind of experiment if he's trying to even out the gun count between our group and the other guys."

Jonathan rubbed his eyes, "Yeah, but I still don't understand the purpose of the screamers. They could've just abandoned us here and closed us in to fight each other off, but they dropped the bombs. What do they want out of this?"

"Maybe it just adds to the suspense for them, wondering who's gonna be eaten next." Marcel noted.

Evan huffed, "Doesn't matter now. Either way I'd love to put a hole in his head."

"Why?" Jonathan looked back at him.

"He's part of the reason all those people are dead, running around eating things and screaming at night. He's part of the reason your best friend is dead and Brock's, Craig. That's good enough reason for me."

Jonathan motioned Marcel and Lui into the room, "There's some bags hanging in there somewhere. Fifteen pistols, fourteen rifles, one shotgun."

Then he turned and stopped Evan in the hall, "Don't try anything stupid, please. I know how you are."

"I won't." Evan sighed, "I'm just . . . _pissed_. He shows up like a fucking warlord and tells us what to do and we have to do it or else. That's bullshit. We've been surviving here for fucking I don't even know how long anymore. You'd think we would've earned the right to say no to the people that got us stuck here to begin with."

Jonathan cupped his face and pulled him close, "It doesn't matter. We can do this. We still have more people, more weapons, and now we know they only have fifteen. We can work around it."

Evan shook his head, "That's fifteen people out there that will now have guns, probably watching us, waiting for their chance. I don't want to wake up one day with a gun to my head or yours. I can't do that-"

"Stop." Jonathan pressed their foreheads together. "We're careful and we're damn good runners. I've got your back and you've got mine."

Evan grabbed Jonathan's shirt in his hands and kissed him right there in the hallway.

* * *

They watched Luke hand the bags of guns off to his men and he stopped just at the gate, turning with a wicked grin on his face. He had something else up his sleeve. Jonathan was clenching his jaw so hard it hurt. Evan was holding two of his fingers, squeezing to keep them both calm.

Luke smiled, "One more thing. Now that the playing field is even . . . you have six months."

Jonathan grabbed Evan's hand, "For what?"

"To find a cure." Luke crossed his arms, "Just like I told the other group. Six months. You find a cure, we might let you go."

" _Might_?!" Evan yelled in disbelief, "You piece of-"

He moved forward but Jonathan held him there by his waist. " _Evan_."

Anthony held his hand up like he was in class, "Excuse me, but six months isn't enough time to develop anything, dude."

"Alright," Luke cocked his head. "Nine. That's final. Good day, boys and girls. Happy hunting."

He gave them a small salute and disappeared down the road, leaving them with a million thoughts running through their heads.

"Well, shit has officially hit the fan." Lui commented. "Let's go. We should talk to David and Brock."

Jonathan stood there for a minute and Evan was still pressed against him, breathing hard and heart racing. Then he pulled away and stormed inside, leaving him alone to stare out at the stacked houses laid out before them. New obstacles were placed, opportunities, and potential traps. Nothing good was going to happen from this day forward, that much he could tell.

Jonathan went inside and Murphy was standing there. She looked a little sick when she shook her head, "Ryan's not doing so good."

"How bad is it?" He asked as he pulled her along to the stairs. He tried to calm his thoughts as they ascended to the clinic's floor.

"You'll see."

And he did see when he walked in the room. Ryan was broke out in a cold sweat, ridden pale with infection. His left leg had been broken for weeks with no treatment.

David looked up at him and shook his head and led him out into the hallway, "It's bad. The bones in his leg have tried to heal crookedly, it's been digging into his muscle, ruining his nerve endings. I could try to rebreak it and fix it, but the infection has spread too far."

Jonathan felt Evan behind him listening. He spoke over his shoulder, "Are you saying you're gonna have to chop it off?"

The doctor just blinked, not wanting to say it out loud. Evan was fiddling anxiously with the end of Jonathan's shirt, " _Jesus fucking Christ_."

"We need to do it now, before it kills him." Brock said as he came out of the room. "He's only getting worse by the minute. David?"

He nodded, "Okay. Go get the anesthesia and I'll sterilize the tools."

Brock have a quick nod and hurried away to their supplies. No one knew what to do but stand there as the doctors got to it. Jonathan leaned against the wall and Evan was there in front of him, taking a deep breath before he leaned in and pressed his forehead to Jonathan's chest. His hands were on his sides, balling his shirt into his fists.

Jonathan brought his hands up and ran his fingers through Evan's hair, "What's wrong?"

"What isn't?"

"You." Jonathan sighed, "And me. Lot's of things."

"This is so fucked up. One thing after another." Evan shook his head against him.

"And we'll figure it out one thing at a time. Look at me, Evan." Jonathan pulled his face up and he could see the rage in his eyes. "No, it's not going to be easy, but it's going to be okay."

Evan closed his eyes and exhaled an exhausted breath. He whispered, "I want to believe you."

Jonathan leaned forward and pressed his lips on his for a brief second and the fire in Evan's eyes retreated when he opened them again. He had words on the tip of his tongue but Brock interrupted them.

"We're about to start. Somebody may want to let Bryce know what's going on." Brock went into Ryan's room and shut the door behind him, leaving a silence crawling ominously through the hall. The elevator door opened and Lui came off looking shocked for a split second at them standing there together, but it turned into a grin.

"About time." He smiled, but it fell at the look on both of their faces. "What is it?"

Jonathan shook his head, "Nothing good. They have to take his leg off from the knee down."

Lui's eyes grew wide and he ran a hand through his hair, " _Fuck_. Has anyone told Bryce yet?"

"No." Jonathan sighed and ran his hand up Evan's back when he pressed his face into his chest again.

Lui gave a small nod and walked past them, "I'll do it."

They didn't stop him because they were both mentally exhausted and overwhelmed and Evan was so quiet which was very uncharacteristic of him. It worried Jonathan so he took him to the roof and made him paint with him until he was well and truly distracted from the day's events.

Evan had painted zombie stick figures at the base of the mural with little green eyes and bloody frowns. They had speech bubbles with various words like 'Ahh!', 'Die!', and 'Eat! Eat!".

Jonathan knew he was going to be okay when he heard him giggling to himself. He pulled the camera from Evan's case and brought it up to his eye, focusing on him as he smiled to himself with paint on his fingers

Jonathan grinned, "Hey."

As soon as Evan looked his way he snapped the picture. He pulled the camera down, "You know, it's always nice to see the man behind the camera. People see all these amazing pictures but never see who takes them. I should do this more often, you look amazing in black and white."

Evan smiled, "So do you. Especially when you're sleeping and the light is coming in just right. It's my aesthetic."

Jonathan raised a brow, "You take pictures of me when I sleep?"

Evan bit at his lip, "Yeah and when you're taking your shirt off. _Ten outta ten._ "

"I knew you were a creep." Jonathan joked and sat the camera down, pulling Evan over by his shirt until their lips were locked in soft short kiss.

Jonathan sat back and motioned to the mural, "Keep going."

"Why?" Evan rubbed at the paint on his fingers distractedly.

"I like watching you." Jonathan grinned when Evan looked him up and down and smirked.

"Creep."

* * *

"So, what happened?" Lui asked the tall blonde that was laid up in a hospital bed resting. Murphy licked her thumb and rubbed a smudge of dirt from Bryce's cheekbone.

He shrugged, "When the radio tower fell, we jumped. That's when Ryan's leg broke. It wasn't a full break, but when we jumped down to the ground from the building, it broke all the way. We tried to run, I picked him up over my shoulder, but they fired a shot and had us surrounded. From there they took us to their little headquarters and put us in a room. Kept us fed barely, gave us water. But they wouldn't help Ryan. Luke said that would be helping the indigenous and that wasn't in the job description, whatever that means. There's a lot of them, just watching us. It's messed up."

Murphy glanced at Lui and he swallowed, "Well, Ryan's leg isn't gonna make it. I'm sorry."

Bryce sighed, "Yeah, I know. He kept joking that he never saw himself being a pegleg. Told him I'd dress like a pirate if it made him feel better about it."

Murphy giggled to herself, "He'll be fine. You both will. We're glad you're home."

"Me, too. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Lui gave him a pat on the leg, "All you need to do is rest and get your strength back for now."

"Yes sir." Bryce grinned and then let his eyes close, pulling the sheet up over himself.

They left him to it and found their way back into the empty hallway. Murphy was growing restless, Lui could tell by the way she kept cracking her knuckles and sighing.

"I'd kill for some tacos right now." She said as they headed for the elevator together.

He took her hand when she wouldn't stop tapping her fingers against her leg. "Your wish is my command. Everything is going to be fine even though this is the most ridiculous set of circumstances. We just have to keep kicking ass."

Murphy grinned, "Don't end up dying, okay? I like your company."

"I'll do my best." Lui squeezed her fingers, "But that's the life of a warrior, ya know? Danger lurking around every corner-"

Murphy burst into the laughter alongside him when he couldn't keep a straight face.

* * *

For two days it was a waiting game as Ryan's fever retreated and his health improved. Bryce had snuck into his room and refused to leave the chair beside his bed. So when Ryan finally woke that's the first thing he saw, Bryce sitting there with his head his hands, waiting.

"Hey, man." Ryan whispered roughly as he tried to move. He knew his leg was gone before he even looked down at the thickly bandaged nub that was at his knee. He could still feel his toes that weren't there, could feel his foot move if he thought about it.

Ryan flopped his head back on the pillow, "It's official now, huh?"

Bryce grinned, "Yep. You're a pirate."

Ryan chuckled and tried to move it and looked back down at his leg that weighed so much less, "Oh shit, that's so weird."

"You'll get used to it. I think they're looking for some crutches right now. Maybe a prosthetic. Evan and Jonathan said they'd keep an eye out for anything."

Ryan pulled his brows together, "Who's Jonathan?"

"Oh," Bryce smiled and rubbed his eyes. "Anjo. His name is Jonathan and he and Evan are definitely together now."

"Wow. We missed everything didn't we?" Ryan looked at the ceiling and felt it all starting to catch up to him. "Do you think we even got a partial signal out that night?"

He knew by the look on Bryce's face that he didn't believe anyone stood a chance that night. "No. I won't lie but that doesn't mean we should stop trying. There are some new rules now. Luke gave us nine months to find a cure for all of this."

Ryan was looking at him like he was waiting for the punchline to a joke. His face fell when Bryce wouldn't even grin at him.

"Okay."

"What do you mean, 'okay'?"

Ryan shrugged, "Then we find a cure. There's nothing else we can do but play by the rules. We're an experiment and I don't know about you but I don't plan on being a failed one."

He tried to sit up, swinging his one leg over the side of the bed. "I don't want to be stuck here forever, Bryce. I want to go home one day and see my dog. So, if Luke told us to find a cure it's because there's probably a way. They just don't know how, so they're putting us in extreme situations underneath crippling pressure to get it done faster. It's sloppy, but a good tactic."

Bryce nodded, "Yeah, you're right. There's got to be a way."

The door opened and Jonathan came in maskless with a set of crutches. Ryan was staring at him so hard Bryce had to hit his arm to snap him out of it.

"Found some." Jonathan propped the crutches against the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Legless." Ryan chuckled to himself. "Nice face, man."

Jonathan smiled and shook his head, "Thanks. Listen, I'm sorry things happened the way it did. I just wish we had known about this whole experiment thing from the beginning. Maybe you wouldn't be-"

"No, it's fine. There were sacrifices and there will be more I'm sure. We're getting no help from the military. The only reason they intervened was because we went over the line. If we had been faster, if they hadn't been watching that night, we would've got that signal out. But that's not how it's supposed to go according to Patterson. We find a cure or we fight to the death. That's the bottom line. We need to get started. I lost my leg and we learned our limits, so it wasn't for nothing."

"Alright." Jonathan nodded and Evan came in behind him.

"Hey. We're all down in the lobby ready to talk about all of this whenever you are." Evan caught Ryan's eye about to ask the same questions.

Ryan grinned and rubbed his face, "I'm alright. Legless, but alright."

Evan rubbed his lips together and tried not to laugh. Jonathan glanced over at him, doing a double take when he saw Evan holding it back.

Jonathan shook his head, "Don't you even dare say it."

Evan smiled, "Come on, it's funny."

Bryce looked around in confusion when Ryan started to laugh. "I don't get it. What's funny?"

Jonathan sighed, "He's _legless_."

Evan tried his best not to laugh, "Legless. _Legolas_."

"Jesus Christ." Bryce shook his head, but he grinned. "You guys are horrible."

Jonathan pointed to himself. "Wasn't me."

Evan shoved him, "You knew what I was thinking though."

"I always know what you're thinking." He rolled his eyes and turned to leave with Evan trailing behind him giggling like an idiot.

Bryce was still grinning when he looked over Ryan trying to adjust the crutches beneath his arms. He jumped to his feet to help.

"Are you sure you want to get up right now?"

"Yes. I want to be down there helping." Ryan pushed himself to his one foot and almost lost his balance but Bryce was there to steady him.

"Got it?"

Ryan looked up and smiled, "Yeah. I've got it."

* * *

"First things first." Jonathan started once they were all in the lobby, sitting in random chairs strewn around the floor. "Arlan. Why'd you come here?"

Arlan took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "I was tired of being used for things that I didn't have the heart for. Beating you was the first straw for me. I'd never hit another human being before that day and I never wanted to do it again. When I was told to take Langley out on the roof, I did it but I never hurt her again. She's strong and she saw right through me, she knew I didn't want to be there. I did what I could to keep her from being hurt anymore than I knew she would be. She convinced me to leave, I just had to find the opportunity. After the boss forced her to leave and drag Criag back with her, I knew I had to go. My friends here wouldn't last without me so we snuck out after most of the group went out into the city one evening. Waited for an opening and then disappeared."

Everyone was silent for a moment so he shuffled his feet, "You should know that he still has plenty of men and they're all smart, loyal, and precise. They've been working on a sort of cure since the beginning. But it's not a cure, more of a controlling agent. He wanted to tame the dead instead of saving them. Because if he has them at his command, he could take over this entire city, maybe even more."

Evan sat back, "So, is that what the traps were for? Catching screamers for experiments?"

Arlan nodded and leaned back against the pillar next to him. "But now that we've all been told to find a cure, he's probably already halfway there. I don't know if he has a base for an antidote yet, but I wouldn't be surprised. As for an actual formula, your guess is as good as mine."

"Even if he does have a base for it, he has nowhere to run tests properly. A facility." Brock offered up.

"He has a doctor in the city that's been working under threat night and day for months. Just one. That's why he wanted David. He settled for Langley because he knew if he broke her down, you would all become disoriented and unstable. Or so he hoped. That didn't exactly happen." Arlan caught Langley's stare and grinned when she did.

"So, point is he's watching us and he's already two steps ahead?" Marcel questioned and huffed when Arlan gave a short nod. "Awesome."

Evan took a breath, "That brings us back to the task at hand. Who here is capable of creating medicine or an antidote or anything like that?"

David shuffled his feet and glanced at Brock, "We've been trying the whole time if I'm being honest. That's why I like the quiet. Supplies are limited here and the lab we have is very small. I can create shots for common colds here with scarce ingredients but to create a cure for a disease or virus that the screamers carry is something else entirely. That takes a lot of trial and error and subjects that wouldn't be very willing to come in and give up their viral DNA, if you see what I'm getting at."

Evan huffed sarcastically, "Yeah, I wasn't planning on dragging screamers back here, as fun as that sounds."

Lui bounced his leg, "What other options are there?"

"The source of the virus would be ideal. If we could get a sample of the original virus, we could break it down and see how it works and what it's made of." Anthony offered up. "You know, before it mixed with human DNA."

"Where would we find a source?" Marcel inquired, twisting his small knife in his hands anxiously.

Jonathan stood and pulled his map out, spreading it out on a table in the middle of them all. "Three bombs fell that day. Here, at the stadium. That was the first. The second, here to the East and the last fell here."

Evan watched a dark, far away look fall over Jonathan's face as his finger ran over the last bomb site. The one that was just buildings away from the garage he and Tyler had been in. He wanted to wrap him up and kiss the look away and make him forget, because knew that every time he thought of Tyler, Jonathan fell back a step. He retreated just a bit into his mind and it always reminded Evan of their first few months together. Reminded him of all the torture he put himself through. It took him back to the night they fought and kissed for the first time. Jonathan was so full of rage and guilt and he'd let it eat him up inside and Evan prayed to the stars that he would never be like that again. He hated to see him in pain and in that moment, staring down at that map . . . Jonathan was hurting.

Evan stood and took his place by his side. He grabbed Jonathan's hand and moved it away from those memories and let it settle on the first bomb site instead. He met his eyes and Jonathan was silently thanking him, speaking without words.

Evan let him go, "The stadium was the initial site, the first contamination, the most affected area. That's where this started, so that's where we should look."

Murphy joined them at the table, "Has anyone ever been that far?"

Jonathan shook his head, "No, we still don't know if it's even safe to go near it."

"Well, considering that no one turns unless bitten or ravaged by these things, I think you're safe. It's bacterial at most, not airborne. If you find anything, use gloves, don't come into contact with it." David said and everyone fell silent as they looked to their feet, thinking about what they were about to do. It was a new mission, a new purpose. They weren't just running for food and supplies anymore, they were running for a cure along with fifteen other people. Fifteen enemies who were armed and had just as much of a reason for finding it first.

"When are we doing this?" Marcel asked and Evan looked over at Jonathan, who was already waiting to catch his gaze, trying to come up with a plan silently in his head.

"Now?" Jonathan asked him and Evan shrugged.

"Now or never."

"Then let's go."

"Who's going?" Murphy was anxious on her feet.

Jonathan looked over them all, "I want you and Langley on the rooftops just outside the gate on lookout. Lui and Marcel, I want you with me and Evan to watch our backs once we get there. If we're lucky, they won't be there looking, too."

Arlan walked to their beds in the corner and brought back a bag that he sat on the table, "Here. I brought some radios. They're long range, so we can all keep in touch."

Jonathan nodded and handed one to Langley, Lui, and Evan. "Let's get some gear and head out as soon as we can. Pack some extra food and bullets. Come on."

Everyone dispersed and the six that were going out got on the elevator and headed up for supplies. They were quiet and focused. Langley and Murphy got off on the mess hall to pack them all some food, Lui and Marcel got the weapons, Evan and Jonathan went up to the clinic for gloves and masks.

Brock was helping them rummage and handed them two pairs of rubber gloves when they came tumbling down out of a closet. Evan found some medical masks in a drawer in the x-ray room where they'd taken Lucah all those months ago. When he found Brock and Jonathan again they were talking low. Jonathan heard him coming and turned.

"Go ahead and head back down, I'll be there in a minute." He said and turned back to the nurse. Evan wanted to question him but there was a look in his eyes that told him not to. At least not right then. So he left them to their conversation and got back on the elevator, picking up the rest of their crew on the way to the lobby.

Brock waited until Evan was gone before he said, "I need to show you something. But it needs to stay between me, you, and David. You'll see why."

He called the elevator and Jonathan got more worried about it when Brock hit the button for the twentieth floor, the only floor that had a sticker beside the button that said 'Restricted'.

No one had ever questioned it, but now it was putting a feeling in his gut that he didn't like. The door opened to a dark hallway, pitch black until Brock stepped out and flipped a switch, illuminating the dreary white walls. Something smelled off about the place as they walked in silence. Brock led him down the hall and then took a right, leading him to the room furthest away from the elevator. When they reached the door, Jonathan heard shuffling and met Brock's eye with a concerned and genuinely nervous look.

Brock hesitated with his hand on the door, taking a deep breath. "Just stay calm, alright?"

Jonathan didn't respond, just stared at the door as Brock opened it slowly. The anticipation was killing him and for good reason. He felt the hairs stand on the back of his neck when the light from the hall slightly illumated the walls inside the room. They were covered in cardboard and thick blankets; soundproofing. The light crept across the room until it revealed a figure curled up in the corner, twitching and shivering. But it wasn't from the cold . . . it was it's nature.

A screamer's nature.

It turned it's head and let out a guttural growl at the light that was shining in it's eyes. It had chains around each limb that was fastened into the walls to keep it from running around.

Jonathan's heart was pounding in his ears, "How long have you had it here?"

Brock sighed, "Three months."

"What does it eat?"

"Meat scraps from the kitchen and any rodents that are found around here. He doesn't require a lot, so it's not cutting into our food supply by much." Brock shifted nervously on his feet. "There's something else you should know."

Jonathan blinked, waiting as the screamer tried to go impossibly further into the corner, away from the light. "Tell me."

"This isn't just a screamer." Brock whispered and Jonathan knew that look all too well when it fell across his face. Sadness and guilt; a look and feeling he had been stuck in himself for months before someone helped him out of it.

Jonathan took a breath when he realized. He looked back in the room at the figure that wasn't just a reanimated human. It was Brock's best friend.

"Brian?"

Brock gave a small nod and Jonathan saw his eyes starting to shine. "I didn't plan on bringing him in here or running into him at all. Everyone was sleeping and I went outside for some fresh air. It was quiet that night and I never liked to be out there because it happened just outside the gate when he was killed. It was dark and I saw one pair of eyes walking around and when he came into the moonlight, I could tell it was him by the shirt he was wearing. I was frozen for a moment when he ran at the gate once he spotted me. So I made a decision and sedated him, brought him in around the back and locked him in here. David knows, but I think you should know, too. If we develop any sort of remedy, he'll be here for us to test it. I owe him that much, even if it doesn't work."

Jonathan stood there in thought for a moment, but he knew he could never object to the idea. If it was Tyler, he would've done the same thing. "I understand and I support your decision. Thank you for telling me. We'll keep this between us, no one else needs to know for now. I'm sure someone has a different opinion and objections. I'll keep an eye out for animals out there."

Brock let out a breath of relief and grinned, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I need to get going." Jonathan clapped him on the shoulder and he left him there looking in on his best friend that was long gone. If there was a chance they could get him back, he'd try for him.

* * *

There were clouds on the horizon when they set out on their journey through the small winding roads of the favela. The stadium was a good distance away and all Jonathan could think about was Brian and how that could very well be Tyler, too. He liked to think that he was still in the garage, dead and not running around feeding off of stray animals and other unlucky stranded humans. He kept telling himself that none of those things had crawled their way in and found him, that he had went quick and not . . .

"Here." Evan said and snapped him out of his heavy thoughts. He watched him hand his map off to Marcel and Lui, that way they knew where they were going once they split up down the road.

"Scout ahead and radio us when you get the point I marked on the map. We'll go the other way around." Evan waved them off and looked over at Jonathan looking tortured as hell with his hands curled into fists.

"You okay?"

Jonathan simply breathed and focused on the sound of his voice and not the screams that echoed in his mind. He focused on the fact that he was there, feet away, and not dead like he feared one day he would be.

"Yeah." He let out a breath even though he knew he wasn't fine and felt like the world was trying to sit on his shoulders again.

Evan's fingers ran up his arm and Jonathan caught his eye before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him tightly in a desperate embrace. He sighed against his neck and Evan was tense with worry before he relaxed and curled his arms around him.

Evan waited but Jonathan never moved, just continued to stand there hugging him, breathing, tucking his face into his neck. It wasn't like him and Evan all of a sudden felt like they'd switched places. He grinned to himself, running his fingers up Jonathan's back, hearing him sigh.

"Weren't you the one that was reassuring _me_ just two days ago? Did something happen?" Evan pried and his hands settled on his waist when they pulled apart.

Jonathan searched his eyes for the comfort he needed and found it there in the look Evan gave him as he touched his hand to his face. Evan let his hand slip to the back of his neck as a breeze blew past them, then he leaned in just as Jonathan did, kissing him carefully because he didn't know what he needed right then. He didn't know if he needed reassurance or a distraction, maybe both.

Jonathan brought his hands up and gripped his face, angling his head and taking it deeper, slipping his tongue past his smoothly. He let out a deep breath and licked his lips before he went back for more. Evan's hand was sliding down his stomach, fingers slipping down into his pants making his breath hitch.

Evan grabbed the walkie from his side, "We'll be a few minutes late. Taking a detour."

"Alright, see you then."

He clipped it to his strap and observed the dark look in Jonathan's otherwise bright eyes and shoved him backwards through an open doorway just behind him. Evan kept walking him back until Jonathan's legs hit a chair and he fell onto it. Evan followed him down, settling on his knees and running his hands up Jonathan's thighs already witnessing the heat collecting in his groin. He was breathing harder as Evan grabbed at his waistband and pulled his running pants down his legs. He moved closer and kissed at the crease of his thigh, running his hands up his shirt as Jonathan sighed into it.

Evan caught his heavy gaze and slipped his mouth over his cock and started a torturous slide that had Jonathan wanting to grab his head and roll his hips further into the heat of his hot lips. Lips that he used to loathe each time they moved. Lips that he now loved, especially when they pulled back to show a pretty smile, more so when they were red and slipping over the hard length between his thighs.

"Mm." He let a soft sound escape and his head fell back against the worn chair when he felt himself running along the back of Evan's throat. His fingers found his hair, his jet black, softer than humanly possible hair and he pulled. Jonathan did his best not to roll his hips, tried not to make him choke but his mouth was so hot and the way he hollowed his cheeks as he moved made it feel tighter. His mouth was perfect.

He looked down in time to see him pull away painfully slow. Spit dripped to his fingers and Jonathan gasped when Evan swallowed him down again and slipped a finger inside of him at the same time. It sent a hard line of pleasure down his back and he arched uncontrollably. Evan found the right spot on the first try, feeling him clench each time he moved his finger.

Jonathan's leg came up and Evan pushed it back down with his free hand before letting it join his mouth that was working Jonathan to his limit. Evan rubbed that spot again until he made a small rhythm and Jonathan was arching, rolling his hips, breathing harder and harder, pulling Evan's hair.

"Oooh my fucking God!" Jonathan threw his head back and bucked his hips one last time before came in Evan's mouth.

He swallowed it down easily and pulled off with a loud pop, lips red as he let his hand stroke Jonathan until he was flinching away. "Fuck!"

"Shhh, Angel Boy, you'll wake the neighbors." Evan smiled wide when Jonathan looked down at him, grinning. He was still breathing a little hard when he yanked him up for a filthy kiss that lasted so long Evan was gasping for air when Jonathan let him go.

"That's the fastest I've ever got off in my entire life." Jonathan sighed and let his head fall back again before he giggled.

"I don't know, man. You were pretty fast that night we fought." Evan smirked and grabbed his arms when Jonathan held them up for him. He pulled him to his feet and he was a little unsteady.

"This was a close second then." Jonathan pulled his pants up and reached for Evan's face again. "I think it's just you, though."

"You sure know how to make a boy feel special, don't you?" Evan grinned and caught his lips when he leaned in.

Jonathan stepped back and readjusted his clothes, "I try. You, uh, wanna take another detour later?"

Evan laughed and placed his hand on his chest as he back out of the door they came in, "Ooh, a man after my own ass. I mean, _heart_."

Jonathan licked his lips as he followed him out, "Nah, I'm definitely after your ass."

Evan faked offense, "Bro."

"I had your heart a long time ago." Jonathan smirked, "Didn't I?"

Evan shoved him with a laugh, "Cocky bastard."

"Come on, we need to catch up." Jonathan planted a quick kiss on the side of his face and ran, hearing Evan's feet rushing to catch up behind him as he weaved through the streets and alleyways.

Jonathan had completely forgotten about the things he was thinking about earlier and all that was on his mind now was the mission ahead and Evan's jokes. The more he told, the more ridiculous they got.

"Hey, where do you think most of the screamers live?"

For just a split second, Jonathan thought it was a genuine serious question until he heard him snicker.

"On a dead-end street."

"Oh my God, Evan. Shut the fuck up."

Evan's laughter echoed between the buildings as they arrived at their destination.

"Oh! What's a screamer's favorite meal?" Evan asked and Jonathan rolled his eyes. "A manwich! Wait, that's my favorite, too. Shit. More like a Jonwich."

"Are you done?"

* * *

What was left of the stadium loomed ahead of them as they slowed to a stop. Jonathan remembered the day he walked into it; the bustling cluster of excited fans, his jersey Tyler almost spilled beer on, and the rush of the sport as the game was underway. It was one of the most memorable days of his life until it turned into a nightmare that he didn't know whether or not they could get out of.

"Who won?"

Jonathan grinned, "Brazil. My throat was sore from yelling so much. It was unforgettable."

He brought the radio to his lips, "Guys, we're going in."

"We see you. Stay safe." Marcel replied from his lookout to the east.

"Langley, check in."

The radio crackled, "Here. Tower is all clear. Storm's rolling in. Be careful out there."

"Will do."

Jonathan started climbing through the rubble with Evan on his six. They stirred up dust that blew away with the breeze that started to pick up around them. Clouds were beginning to block the sun and cool them off as they found a way through. Evan looked up, seeing metal bars and bleachers hanging haphazardly high above them, some swaying. It was quiet except for the occasional groan of metal and popping of loose beams.

Jonathan crawled his way through a small opening and on the other side was the playing field, destroyed mounds of dirt and dead grass laid out before them. It looked like a warzone, but what disturbed him was the lack of bodies. There were none. The blast radius was contained within the stadium and had clearly turned everyone that had been in it.

He kicked a ruined soccer ball out of his way and moved toward the center of the field, putting on the mask Evan handed him and a pair of gloves. The point of impact was clear as day; a gaping crater amidst all the dirt.

They walked to the edge and at the bottom were pieces of broken metal and a small pool of glowing green fluorescent liquid. It wasn't much but it would be enough. Jonathan pulled a rope from his pack and tied it around himself, handing the slack to Evan along with the radio.

Just as he was about to descend, Evan grabbed his shirt and pulled him back, kissing him hard. He was an inch away, staring into him when he let go. "Come back, okay?"

"I planned on it." Jonathan ran his thumb over Evan's lips and walked back until he was moving down the semi-steep incline. It wasn't far but if he fell into even the smallest amount of the virus . . . well, he didn't want to know what would happen.

Jonathan was leaning over the liquid when he felt the raindrops soaking into his shirt. Evan had a tight grip on the rope and he grinned at the fact that he worried over such a simple thing. The wind blew up above as he dipped a small jar into the substance and then secured the lid, wiping it clean with a rag. He tossed it then tied the jar up safely into three layered bags before placing it in his pack.

Evan heard the metal bleachers creaking again and when he felt the rain slowly coming down he looked up and there he saw a figure in the stands to his left. He kept his grip on the rope and pulled the radio up.

"Marcel."

"Yeah?"

"Where's Lui?"

"He said he was gonna scout the stadium."

Evan let out a breath but his heart took longer to calm down. He felt a tug on the rope and looked down at Jonathan as he started to climb back up. He gave him a smile and then looked back up at Lui who was still in the same spot in the stands. He gave him a wave that he didn't return. Evan's grin faded.

"Lui!" His call echoed around them until another voice called back.

"Over here!"

Evan's head snapped around to his right and there was Lui on the other side. Then he saw him waving frantically.

"Get out of there! There's more than one!" His voice echoed and Evan felt the blood rushing past his ears.

"Jonathan! Move faster, we've got company!" Just as the plea left his mouth he felt the sting of a bullet grazing his arm. He immediately hit the ground for cover. "Fuck! Move those fine ass legs of yours or I'll be taking bullets for you before we even solidify our relationship!"

Jokes aside, Jonathan moved as fast as he could and Evan pulled him over the top and forced him to his stomach. "Stay down. We're hidden behind rubble of we stay low."

"How many?"

"No idea. There's one on the left, Lui's on the right. Think we can make a break for it?" Evan talked low with his face nearly touching the ground. Jonathan's fingers found the gash on his arm that left blood trailing down his arm, but it was starting to clot.

Evan shook his head, "It's fine. Which way should we go?"

Jonathan glanced around, they couldn't go back the way they came, it was too open. The other side of the stadium was mostly still intact and there was a door that led to the inside. It was their best bet.

"We make a break for that door, stay low, behind cover unless you see someone else, then just fucking run." Jonathan instructed and Evan nodded.

"This is fucking ridiculous. You actually came back and now we're being shot at." He huffed, "I'm trying to figure out which one of us is the bad luck charm."

"Well, I didn't have horrible luck until you came along, so it's definitely you, Princess." Jonathan grinned in the rain as it came down harder.

Evan broke into a smile then the radio came on, "Guys, I'm close by. Lui's taking cover. I see two guys on the left, maybe another in the middle of the stands, I can't tell. I'll draw their attention and you guys run for it."

Jonathan took the radio, "We're headed for the door that leads inside. You and Lui find a way out to the rendezvous point we marked and we'll meet you there."

"You got it. Wait for my gunfire." Marcel went silent and ten seconds later his rifle went off, firing into the stands. The bullets bounced off of metal seats leaving a sharp piercing echo in the air around them. Evan and Jonathan pushed themselves to their feet and crouched as they ran, trying to stay as low as they could behind cover. Their feet slipped on the mud and they slid in front of the doors. Jonathan barreled into them and they fell to the floor when they gave way to a dark empty hallway.

"Marcel we're clear, get out of there."

"Going."

Jonathan found Evan's fingers in the dark, "Now we can solidify our relationship. You're mine and I'm yours. Is that cool with you?"

"Um . . . yeah. Don't make me cry, dude." Evan pretended to wipe the tears away that were actually raindrops on his face.

Jonathan pulled him along the dark hallway that eventually opened up into a huge room that circled the entire stadium. He turned his hat around and clicked on his flashlight that was attached to the bill.

"Think they got some peanuts around here?" Evan whispered and Jonathan squeezed his fingers silently telling him to shut up. The rain was pounding down on the outside and creating a steady hum throughout the place.

"It's too dark in here." Jonathan glanced around for an exit to the outskirts of the stadium. "Dark isn't good."

"Yeah, I'm waiting for that spine-tingling growling to start." As soon as Evan said it, they heard it. "Ah, there it is."

"Exit, look for a fucking exit!" Jonathan hissed as they walked faster hand in hand, looking for a door or anything that would put them on the other side. Evan turned his flashlight on and looked behind them, but he didn't really need it to see the those nightmarish eyes looking back.

"We, uh, should probably start running." But Jonathan was already yanking him forward into a sprint when he spotted a door just around the bend. A scream rang out and Jonathan let his hand go as he burst through the door and into the rain where he ran into a body and fell to the ground. That body was tall, heavy, and alive. It also had a gun.

He pushed himself to his feet and kept running behind Evan who was doing his best not to slip on the wet ground. "Keep running! Split up!"

Evan turned left and weaved in and out of abandobed cars. Thunder cracked above that was joined by the shot of a gun. Jonathan ducked his head and headed off into alley between a row of houses. He slammed through a door and out of the rain, catching his breath while he checked his pistol. He made sure the jar of death hadn't broke and then peered out of a window. He ducked down when he heard wet footsteps go by, then it got eerily quiet. The rain dripped down the glass and he heard more gunfire.

* * *

Evan peeked around the corner of a building aiming down the sights of his gun as he continued through the winding roads at a cautious pace. If he knew Jonathan, he was out of sight, laying low in a house until he assessed the situation. Evan tried to do the same. He ducked into a doorway of a shop and was met with gunshots just as he turned down an aisle. He ducked around the corner and made sure his safety was off. He looked down at his arm to find another fresh bleeding graze just beneath his first one.

"We can be friends, right?" An smooth, calm, ominous voice asked in the quiet store.

"You just ruined my tattoo, I seriously doubt that." Evan replied and rolled away when more bullets sprayed around him. When he got to his feet he rounded another aisle and came face to face with the guy, wearing the same hoodie he always wore, same white face mask. But this time he saw his eyes, piercing and impossibly more intimidating than Jonathan's could ever be. Evan lunged straight into his stomach, tackling him to the floor, their guns slid off in either direction as they tumbled. His mask came down, revealing an equally intimidating face that he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon. Even in a struggle of fists and strength he was calm. His fist met Evan's jaw and he kicked him off, reaching for his gun that had got away. But Evan was faster, finding his gun near the end of the aisle at the same time the other man did. Evan turned and shot, hearing the other gun fire a split second later. He saw the blood spreading through the fabric of the guy's pants on his thigh and he heard two other people enter the store from the back.

Evan took the opportunity and ran into the street, turning right, not knowing where he was going. It didn't matter. He heard them coming.

"After him." That calm voice ordered and Evan had no fucking idea how he was up and moving when he'd just shot him in the leg.

He was hauling ass down another alley when a hand reached out and grabbed him, pulling him inside a dark house. Jonathan clamped a hand over his mouth and they listened to the men run by, one limping, until they were out of earshot.

"We need to meet back up with Marcel and Lui." He whispered in his ear and took his hand back. "You're bleeding again."

"That fucker grazed me again, the boss. I shot him in the leg though and he got up and ran. He's gotta be a fucking terminator or something." Evan wiped at his face and he didn't realize his face was cover in blood until he smelled it. "Fuck."

Jonathan pulled Evan's shirt off and ripped it. Evan held his hands up, "I'm fine. It was just a graze."

"Yeah, but he also put a bullet in your arm that you clearly can't feel because of the adrenaline." Jonathan stated calmly as he pulled Evan's arm out in front of him.

Evan looked down at the hole in his arm and sighed, "What. An. Asshole."

"At least it went through and didn't hit a bone." Jonathan remarked and began wrapping it tightly.

Evan grinned, "I'm holy now. The Lord has obsolved me of all my sins. Or at least one of them, because there's a whole fucking lot."

"Evan, enough jokes! My heart is in my throat right now, can you be serious for five fucking seconds?!" Jonathan ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Evan grabbed his arm, "Hey, I'm okay. I'm sure I'll be bitching about it in ten minutes, but I'm okay. I'll heal. Now let's go before they find their way back."

The rain had eased up to light drizzle as they stepped quietly through the streets, hiding when they heard footsteps, then taking off again when it was clear. Evan was right on the money, because ten minutes later his arm felt like it was on fire, throbbing with pain.

"Shit, shit, shit." He said with every step as they neared the rendezvous point, a safehouse on the outskirts of town.

"Hey, hey, hey." Jonathan slowed him to a stop and opened the door to the bottom floor of the house. He put an arm around his waist and helped him up the stairs where Marcel and Lui were waiting to help.

"Medkit?" Marcel asked as he rummaged through random cabinets.

Jonathan pointed to a table on the other side of the room, "Top drawer."

Jonathan sat Evan on the couch and caught the kit when it was tossed his way. It didn't take long for him to patch him up and clean the wound. It didn't make Evan hurt any less. He found a bottle of water and gave him some pain pills and then he sat beside him pulling him close until Evan's breathing evened out and he was laying in his lap.

Jonathan ran his hand through his hair for hours, until it was dark outside and the screamers were running loose. Lui kept a lookout on the roof while Marcel opened a can of soup for them to pass around while they waited for daylight.

"You okay, man?" Marcel asked as he passed him a spoon along with the can.

"Yeah, I'm good." He looked down at Evan who had fallen asleep with a tense look on his face. "As long as he's okay, I'll be fine."

Marcel gave him a sweet grin and took the soup back after Jonathan had a bite. "You remember when you hated him and came back all pissed at me and Lui because we let him run?"

Jonathan sighed softly with a grin, "I remember."

"And now?"

"Now . . ." Jonathan wiped the sweat from Evan's forehead, "Now I can't stand to be without him and one day that might be the death of me."

* * *

Evan stirred in the middle of the night while the crickets outside were screaming louder than the dead. His arm was back to burning so he took more medicine, trying not to disturb Jonathan. But he woke anyway when Evan moved.

Evan grinned up at him with his head still in his lap. "Miss me?"

Jonathan didn't say anything, just leaned down and kissed him until Evan couldn't feel a thing other than his heavy hand on his chest and his lips that left his and left a small peck on his forehead.

"I'll take that as a yes." He whispered and moved when Jonathan pulled his legs up to lay down beside him. He pulled him close and got comfortable, his chin resting on top of his head.

"Yes, I missed you. Next time, don't fall asleep without me."

Evan curled around him tighter and breathed against his chest that was salty and almost sticky from rain and sweat. He laid awake listening to him breathe, thinking about the sound of his voice and the way he'd said his last sentence.

 _Don't fall asleep without me._

It was tender and sweet and if Evan thought about it too much it almost sounded like another form of ' _I love you_ '. He shut his eyes tight and convinced himself to fall asleep before the sun came up and he felt lips pressing softly against his.

It was so sudden and he still felt half asleep, maybe he was dreaming because Jonathan pulled away and looked down at him with a look he'd never seen before. His eyes were catching the morning light just right and his hand ran over his face so gently he didn't know what to think.

Evan just stared and watched his lips move when he said, "I don't want to wake up without you either."


	11. Chapter 11

**Songs: Santigold - Disparate Youth**  
 **Foals - Mountain at My Gates**

"Do the thing." Evan requested and he shivered when Jonathan leaned in close from behind and kissed just beneath his ear.

Evan sighed, " _Fuck me_."

Jonathan grinned and whispered, "I am."

Evan bit at his lip, "Harder, please."

Jonathan moved a bit faster, but he refused to hurt him like Evan really wanted him to. He gripped his hips tight when Evan tried to push back against him with more force.

"No."

Evan arched his back, "Yes. Fucking scratch me or something."

"I said no."

"Bite me?"

"No."

Jonathan ran his hand up his back and let his fingers wrap around his neck carefully. He pulled him toward him, making the angle that much more intense and he knew it would be enough for him. For now at least.

"Yes. Choke me?"

Jonathan moved even faster, "No."

"Ah! Yes! Fuck! Please?!"

" _No_."

"Yes!" Evan was gasping for air now like Jonathan knew he would be. He reached around and stroked him until his legs started to shake.

"Oh God, oh shit!" Evan reached and grabbed at Jonathan's messy hair and moaned wildly through his orgasm.

Jonathan let his own roll through him and spoke quietly, "See? That wasn't so bad now was it?"

Evan groaned and sank to the couch in front of him as he caught his breath. He flipped Jonathan off and tried to push him with his foot, but the man caught it in his hand. Jonathan smiled slowly at the panic in Evan's eyes.

"Don't you fucking dare." Evan squinted, but Jonathan brought his other hand up, menacingly, preparing to tickle his foot. "Please! No!"

But Jonathan had to do it, just once. He had to know how far Evan would go to make him stop, he had to know how hard he would laugh. It was pretty much a law in a relationship to tickle your partner at least one time. Evan yelled and kicked and flailed from where he was on the couch. Jonathan let his foot go and leaned down to grab his sides and Evan barely missed his face with his elbow.

"You almost took my fucking eye out!" Jonathan laughed when Evan threw his head back and laughed so hard he couldn't breathe and had tears in his eyes.

Evan sucked in a breath and pleaded, "Stop! Please! I can't breathe!"

But as soon as he pulled back, Evan smiled up at him and pulled him down, kissing him wetly, slipping his tongue past his. Jonathan drank him in and sighed against his face. He loved this. If he thought hard enough about it, he could imagine them being home in his living room and not in a stranger's abandoned house cleaning themselves up and slipping on their clothes, getting ready to run again.

But reality always came creeping back in each time he opened his eyes. It didn't really matter, because as long as he had Evan right there in front of him, he was happy no matter where they were.

"How's your arm?" Jonathan looked over at him as he pulled a shirt on.

Evan hissed a little as he lifted his arm to pull the shirt down, "It's tender. But I'm fine."

"You are." Jonathan grinned, standing in front of him, brushing his hair back with one hand.

Evan smiled, "You're cute."

Jonathan leaned in a kissed him slow, letting his fingers run up his arms until he felt goosebumps. He pulled back with a light sigh, opening his eyes to the only thing he wanted to see anymore. The one thing he loved.

"Let's get going. We need to stay on the ground. You can't climb with that arm."

Evan nodded and tightened Jonathan's strap across his chest for him. He pulled his own pack over his head and smiled at him cheerfully. Jonathan still had a lot to learn about him. Sometimes it baffled him how Evan could be so fucking chipper all the time despite everything that was happening around them, despite him getting a bullet through his arm, despite being stuck in a game. He was a work of art, figuratively and physically and Jonathan wanted to study every detail that made him so.

"Hey." Evan hit him on the arm with the back of his hand, "Come on, stop thinking about me."

Evan ran off down the stairs with a laugh while Jonathan followed him, smiling to himself because it was true and he'd probably never stop thinking about him or that stupid, attractive personality that made him so irresistible.

* * *

The sun still had two more hours before it would be looming directly above them. It was still bright, casting deep shadows in the alleyways to either side of them as they ventured out. Once they were in the narrow streets, dust blowing around them with the cool breeze, Jonathan pulled out his walkie.

"Lui. Marcel. Check in."

A moment passed before he got a response, "We're here. Route A was compromised. Take Route B. We've got another mile to the tower, we'll keep you updated. Let us know if you run into trouble and we'll circle back around."

"Alright. Take care, we're on the move." Jonathan paused before he changed the frequency. "Langley."

The radio crackled to life, "It's Murph. You guys coming back yet? I'm getting really bored."

"We're coming. Lui and Marcel are almost there. Keep an eye out for trouble."

"Sure thing, Dad."

Jonathan shook his head, "Why am I the dad?"

"I mean, I would definitely call you Daddy but sadly that privilege only belongs to Evan." She said, clearly smirking.

Evan laughed in the background when Jonathan glanced back at him with a raised brow. "Don't get any ideas."

"Oh, I've got plenty of ideas baby." Evan wiggled his eyebrows and laughed again when Jonathan grimaced.

"Don't even call me ' _baby_ '. My name is Jonathan, let's keep it that way." He holstered the radio and started off down the road and he was waiting for Evan to say it. His eyes just about rolled into the back of his head when he finally did.

"Whatever you say, _Daddy_."

* * *

The alternate route through the streets was clear with the exception of a few suspicious noises and the occasional slamming of a shutter, courtesy of the cool wind. They both kept their defenses up as they jogged steadily through the narrow passages to avoid the main roads. Jonathan had a feeling they were being watched, but as usual there was no one in sight when they looked around.

"You know, when people feel like they're being watched, they're usually right. It's a sense, not just paranoia." Evan rambled off.

"Yeah, I know. I don't feel good about this run." Jonathan commented and pulled out his map. "Let's go Route C instead. It's slower but it has more cover. The safer you are, the better I'll feel."

"Ughh." Evan groaned, "You're so fucking sweet."

"Do you not like it?" Jonathan smirked and started off on the alternate path.

"No." Evan sighed as he jogged to keep up. "I _love_ it."

* * *

Murphy was twiddling her thumbs, legs dangling from the window of the safehouse as she waited for someone to show up. The air was getting colder by the day and she couldn't even tell you what month it was anymore. Late November? December maybe? Langley had brought her a light jacket and a Tupperware bowl of food for her before she went back into the tower.

Things had been quiet ever since the boys left the day before. No sign of life anywhere, it was even pretty quiet that night. A few dead here and there but nothing chaotic. It all seemed to be dying down but they knew not to let their guard down for anything anymore.

Her heart jumped to life when she saw someone on the rooftops in the distance. She pulled her rifle out and at the same time she heard two familiar voices down below. Lui waved up at her cheerfully and she motioned them to the tower.

"Get inside. Fast."

They didn't question it and took off running through the gate that Bryce opened for them. She put her eye to the scope and focused on the runner that wasn't one of their three that was out that day. This man was tall, with a nice build, and a thick dark beard. He stopped in front of a drop box. Murphy switched to single shot rounds and steadied the gun against the window sill. She aimed with her finger on the trigger.

Murphy took a deep breath, "Eat shit, asshole."

The gun fired and she saw the round meet the man's leg. He dropped with a painful yell that echoed through the streets below. The guy started to crawl away. Murphy slung the gun over her shoulder and jumped from the window, using the crosswalk they'd made on the rooftops to cross the gap between buildings. The guy dropped out of sight as she got closer to her target, but once she approached he was already gone. Not that he could've gotten far but the supplies were more important. She loaded up the duffle and hauled it all the way back to the tower where she was met with questions. The bag hit the floor and the others started sorting it.

"We can't do drop boxes anymore. They're taking chances and trying to steal what's in them. I just shot a guy in the leg, but he got away." She sighed and pulled her hair back in a hair tie.

"Okay. We'll tell the boys when they get back. Good going, Murph." Marcel grinned and clapped her on the shoulder.

"Thanks. Felt amazing to put a bullet in one of them. Wish it had been that other asshole, though." She huffed and looked Lui over. "You guys okay? How was it out there?"

Lui shrugged, "We were in a shootout with some guys, but we all got out relatively safe. Evan got a bullet in the arm but nothing crippling. Through and through."

"Shit, I knew that wasn't just thunder yesterday. So, how far away are they? Did they get the virus?"

Marcel nodded and took the bag off his shoulder, "They got it. It's in a jar, in a bag, inside another bag, inside of my bag."

"Inception bag." Langley said as she stepped off the elevator. Marcel handed it off to her and watched her head back up to David.

"He gave it to me because if anyone was to be ambushed it would probably be them two and not us. I think that guy has a bone to pick with both of them. Evan shot him in the leg and Jonathan is a leader, so you know." Marcel shrugged and took a seat, kicking his shoes off. Scotty walked over and leaned down, giving him a kiss.

"I'm glad you're back in one piece."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

"Should we go check it out?" Evan whispered after they had ducked down inside a doorway. The piercing crack of a gun going off was unmistakable in a quiet wasteland and the scream that followed meant the bullet had hit it's target.

"Let's give it a few minutes." Jonathan decided and they walked at a steady pace in the same direction the sound had echoed from. After five minutes he put the radio to his lips.

"Murphy, did you hear that?"

Her response came through, crackling slightly, "Yeah, I just shot one of them trying to get into a drop box. He got away. There have to be more around because there's no way he ran with a bullet in his leg. Be careful out there, hurry back."

"Alright, we're close. Be there soon."

Evan grabbed his arm suddenly and held a finger to his lips, "Shh, you hear that?"

Jonathan turned his head and listened and what met his ears was the faint sound of shuffling and grunts. His heart skipped a beat before he pointed to an open door and pushed Evan in it's direction. They pressed themselves against the wall just inside the doorframe and listened as the sound grew louder.

"God dammit, if I ever get my hands on that bitch!" A man's voice carried through the buildings. They were close.

"What did you expect, dumbass?" Another voice asked, like he was tired of the other's carelessness.

"Fuck! Stop going so fast!"

"Will you shut up! The boss is gonna be mad as hell anyway, he doesn't need to hear your bitching, too!"

Their voices were right outside the doorway.

"I have a bullet in my leg, you dick."

"Yeah, so does he. Apparently that's their specialty."

"He probably won't even let the doc help me. Probably just feed me to the dead and get it over with."

The other man sighed dramatically as they passed by, "Max, please shut the hell up. You're one of our biggest guys, he won't let you go that easily."

"Sometimes I wish he would. This place is bullshit."

"Oh my God, that's it. Walk by yourself."

There was a scuffle, the sound of shoes slipping on dirt, and someone losing their balance. "Adam! You slut, don't leave me!"

Evan and Jonathan both waited until their bickering faded and they almost couldn't hear it anymore, then they ran. They didn't need anymore altercations for now. The cold air was stinging their throats.

They passed by an old building that made bad memories surface in Evan's mind. An image of a woman in a pool of her own blood, a baby on the way, not enough daylight, not enough air filling his lungs, his legs burning, Jonathan pulling him through the gate. He remember being covered in so much blood and being filled with fear, the baby crying against his chest, pulling Jonathan's mask over his face, the look he gave him. Those nights, he hardly slept, thinking of Livia lying there lifeless, body ready to be taken by the dead, teeth sinking into her still warm flesh. He understood why it all happened the way it did, but it still lingered in his head every now and then.

Evan blinked, trying to focus on the road ahead of him as he ran behind the runner that continued to save his life and keep him from sinking. But he began to sink if he thought for too long. He reached a hand out and grabbed Jonathan's arm and when he slowed to a stop and turned, Evan grabbed his face and placed a kiss against his mouth. His thoughts cleared and he couldn't feel anything but the body heat he offered. He pulled away, still winded from running.

Jonathan breathed in deep, "What was that for?"

Evan shook his head and started walking, "Just needed to stop thinking for a second."

"Thinking about what?"

Evan stopped and turned, "Everything. You keep me from slipping into that old familiar state of mind that I really don't need to be in ever again. It gets bad."

Jonathan had his hands on his hips as he breathed. The memory of Evan telling him about his suicidal side surfaced and he cleared his head. Then he wiped at the sweat on his face with his shirt. He stepped forward and grabbed Evan behind the neck and kissed him a bit slower this time.

Jonathan pulled away and looked at him, "You do the same thing for me. If you ever need me, I don't care what I'm doing or where we are . . . _tell me_."

Evan swallowed and gave him a small nod with his hand wrapped around his wrist. "Okay. What if I want you to be rough with me?"

Jonathan watched him crack a smile as he returned to his normal self. "That's what you _want_ , not what you _need_ and I said no."

Jonathan walked past him and started jogging again. Evan ran behind him. "But it's so hot!"

"I don't care. Come on, we need to get back." He kept going, ignoring Evan's pitiful whining behind his back.

"You should stop running in front of me then! All it does is turn me on!"

* * *

The lobby was full of light chatter and the shuffling of cards as Arlan's small group entertained themselves in the corner. Ryan had taken to Marcel, who was teaching him how to sharpen dull blades and polish them until they almost blinded you.

Langley was cleaning random things to keep herself occupied and when she was done everyone lined up for a haircut. She'd kept the other side of her head shaved because she didn't want to forget what happened. She'd always have the scars on her head, too.

Murphy still thought it was badass. She was sitting on the floor watching Lui lace up her shoes in a different pattern so she didn't have to tie them anymore. He was a great friend, they all were and she started to think about what was going to happen if they ever got out. Would they separate or stay in touch? Would they be killed or payed for their silence?She shrugged it off and kept her eyes on the strings as Lui threaded them through the holes of her shoes.

Lucah was standing at the front doors, looking out at the gate, waiting patiently for her two humans. When she started to paw at the floor and do a small dance, Arlan got to his feet and looked to see two figures just beyond the gate. He unlocked the door and followed Lucah's excitement and opened the gate for the runners.

The dog ran out and greeted them with licks and a whine. Evan crouched and took her kisses and patted her platinum fur until she moved on to Jonathan who leaned down when she jumped up, placing her paws on his stomach like she usually did.

"Hey girl, I missed you too." Jonathan smiled down at her and kissed her head, watched her turn in circles as they moved through the gate.

Arlan followed, closing it behind them. "Heard you guys ran into trouble."

"We did, literally." Evan commented and opened the door to the tower, holding it for his favorite person. Jonathan poked him in the gut with a finger and Evan flinched.

"Ow!"

"Drama queen."

Evan stuck his tongue out, "Kiss it and make it better."

Jonathan grinned back at him, "Maybe later."

Evan let the door fall shut behind him once Arlan was in. He locked it and pulled the bag over his head, sighing as he sank into a chair. "So. What's up?"

"Nothing." Langley answered, "You want a haircut?"

"Sure. But not too short, Jonathan likes to run his fingers through it." He winked when Jonathan looked over at him with a raised brow, but he smirked a second later.

Evan's lips pulled back into a smile, "Pulls it sometimes, too."

Murphy burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. Langley giggled with her, watching the look on Jonathan's face. "That's cute."

Jonathan sat back in his chair and motioned Evan to him with a finger. "Come here."

The Asian sauntered over, confident, because he didn't care. He'd tell them all how amazing the sex was if they asked. He looked down at Jonathan sitting there like perfection, until he grabbed Evan's shirt on his chest and yanked him down. Evan felt the heat in his face because their noses were touching and he could see every ounce of blue in his eyes.

"Take it down a notch." Jonathan said and saw Evan grin slyly before he pulled him forward the extra inch and kissed him in front of everyone. Jonathan pulled his lips away and shoved him back lightly, "Now go away, you leech."

"You know damn well that'll never happen." Evan said giddily and sat on the floor between the man's legs and laid his head back on his lap.

Jonathan knew he'd never leave him alone and he loved it. He grinned to himself because he remembered when that's all he tried to do was run from him. He leaned over and kissed him upside down and when he sat back Evan was smiling like an idiot again.

"Peter Parker, you're my hero." Evan giggled to himself cracking an eye open before Jonathan covered them with his hands. He tried to bite at his fingers but Jonathan kept moving them at the right time.

"Stop it, you dick."

Evan wiggled and got comfortable before he finally left him alone, oblivious to everyone watching them like they were a reality show, grinning to themselves.

Jonathan looked over at Murphy and Lui who just sat there smiling. He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Anyway, does David have the virus yet?"

Lui nodded and slipped Murphy's shoes on her feet to test them out. "He has it. Now we wait until he gives us news. This is going to take awhile. What do we do in the meantime?"

Murphy wiggled her toes and looked over at him, "We can't do drop boxes anymore since they're trying to take our supplies."

Jonathan sighed, "Yeah, I know. I've been thinking about it and I guess we need to start heading further out, go into the city."

"That's a long run though." Evan commented lazily as Jonathan's fingers stayed in his hair.

"We'd have to stay out overnight. As far as supplies go, we can set up drop points and have runners stationed at each one. We gather supplies, hand them off to one person, then they head to the next person, repeat until the supplies have been run back to the tower. Like an assembly line. That way the supplies are never sitting out in the open."

"That's smart." Langley agreed as she trimmed Scotty's dirty blonde hair. "What about going through the sewers?"

"Not a good idea." Arlan piped in from across the room. "They still use the sewers to get around at night. There's no telling if you'll run into one of them while you're down there."

Evan pointed at his bag on the floor, "Get the map out of there and draw the sewer line as best as you can. Just in case we ever need to use it and so we can avoid entry and exit points they may be coming in and out of."

Arlan wasted no time, pushing himself to his feet and digging around in Evan's bag. He opened the map and laid it across the floor, catching a pen that Bryce tossed at him. The sewer system was very intricate and he only drew what he remembered. He left out the smaller tunnels that you couldn't even use and made sure he added the parts where the other group had blocked off hoards of screamers.

* * *

Hours passed as they sorted through things and moved them upstairs. Jonathan walked around and checked on everyone while they had nothing to do. Bryce was back in the otherwise empty tech room, the same one he always occupied with Criag. Instead, Ryan was by his side learning whatever he could in the meantime. Cody was there as well, pulling apart random devices they had found, scrounging for parts. David, Brock, and Anthony had their eyes glued to microscopes, going through slides left and right, jotting down notes. Jonathan didn't disturb them as he walked by.

The children were already riled up when he made his way inside the nursery. Evan was on the floor playing with the cat, Laffy who kept pouncing at his hand when he wiggled it on the floor on front of him. Jonathan smiled and picked up the little girl that for whatever reason seemed to favor him. She jumped into his arms and sat on his hip, placing a paper flower behind his ear.

"Thank you."

She smiled. Her hair was chocolate brown, her eyes hazel, and her smile too happy for a child who had no family. But Jonathan was glad she could find peace in a place where there was little hope. He let her down and took the drawings she handed him that he added to his collection when he got back to his bunk.

Evan fell down beside him in the bed and threw his arm over his stomach with a sigh. "Hey."

Jonathan ran his fingers up his arm. "Hey. How's your arm?"

"It's fine just like it was fine this morning."

"Okay."

Evan lifted his head and looked at him, "You're cute, worrying about me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Jonathan turned his head and looked up at him feeling sleep settling in.

"You used to hate me, you know."

Jonathan grinned, "I never hated you. You were just obnoxious. Still are."

Evan smirked before he leaned down to kiss him. "I know. I was never like this before this place."

"That's still really hard to believe."

Evan laid on his back, getting comfortable. "I was usually in my room by myself most of the time listening to music. Day dreaming about where else I could be but there. Other than that I was being forced to go to socialist parties, business shit on yachts. Bored the hell out of me. My mom was always trying to introduce me to every rich girl she met all while I was eyeing the tall guys in clean cut suits, wondering. Needless to say nothing exciting ever happened. I hated my life."

Jonathan made more room for him on the small bed, "So, where are you from?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, not where you're from. You're ethnicity. Are you Korean?"

Evan scratched his nose, "Yeah, part Korean and Chinese. We used to live in Canada before Dad uprooted us and moved us to California for his business. It was a big change, but I was like ten, so I thought it was awesome at the time. Did you always live in North Carolina?"

Jonathan shook his head, "No. We moved to Virginia for a while when I was younger, but we moved back eventually. So the scenery was pretty much the same. My life has been pretty bland apart from all the shit me and Tyler used to get into."

Jonathan laughed to himself, "We made a bicycle gang one time. All we did was ride around town with a bunch of other kids and go get sodas and ice cream, then hang out at the skate park. We thought we were so cool."

"What did you do before all of this?"

Jonathan shrugged, "I worked on computers and did web design on and off. Enough to get me by. Otherwise I was in the woods, hiking or camping."

"Alone?"

"Yeah. It gave me inspiration. I'd go home and paint something new on my walls. Makes me wonder if my house is still my house. Like, have I been missing for so long they've given up and put it on the market? Did they paint over all my shit?"

Evan stared at the ceiling, "That's a good question. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just thinking out loud. But I know my mom would refuse to let my house go. She probably took up a second job to pay for it. My sisters probably would too. All they have is each other now. My older brother probably came home again to help take care of them. I can't stand thinking about it. I don't want them thinking they've lost someone else. Losing my dad was hard enough on them."

Evan brushed his hand over Jonathan's cheek, "You'll see them again. I know you will. If they're as tough as you are, I know they'll be fine until you get back to them."

"Always so optimistic."

Evan grinned, "So are you, when it comes to reassuring me that we'll survive this."

"We will."

"Yeah, we will." Evan sighed, "But what if we get separated?"

Jonathan gave a slight shake of his head, "Not gonna happen. I'll fight everyone."

Evan smiled and then ducked his head down until he was nestled in the crook of Jonathan's neck. He pressed his teeth together because he was starting to feel the tightness in his chest again, the feeling that always came when he became so full of emotion but he was forcing it down. Those words was there in the front of his mind and all he really wanted to do was say it. There was nothing that would ever compare to way Jonathan made him feel but he knew that he'd hold it all in until it burst. It would probably happen at a very inappropriate or inconvenient time if luck had it's way and it almost always did in his case.

Evan let out the breath he had been holding and let Jonathan's shirt loose, the shirt he had been blindly gripping in his hand the whole time. His tongue was between his teeth and it hurt but he had never been so close to telling Jonathan just how much he loved him. Everything in him told him not to so he did his best to listen.

He knew Jonathan could feel his body tensing up but the man didn't say anything. What he did do was almost enough to push Evan over the edge. Jonathan cradled his face in his hand, his breath a whisper as it brushed past his lips. All he did was look at him, but it was like he knew what Evan was holding back and for a second he looked scared. Like he'd been fighting the same battle in his head, like he was biting his tongue just as hard.

They stared at one another for a long minute, just breathing and Evan knew he couldn't say it. Not until he knew that Jonathan wouldn't run away if he did. The man's anger and guilt didn't seem so fragile anymore, but Evan still didn't want to accidentally flip a switch and send him soaring back into his own head with his dangerous thoughts. Even though Jonathan said he'd never run again, he was too important and meant too much to him for Evan to even risk it.

So, he kept his thoughts to himself and leaned down into Jonathan's lips and they kissed each other until their lips were raw. They had made a pact to never run from each other and yet they still managed to find a way. Even when they were curled around each other in a bed too small and there was hardly any air to breathe.

* * *

The next few days consisted of setting up the new system they'd constructed to get the supplies and food they found to the tower so they wouldn't have to leave it drop boxes for the taking anymore. They all set out on the rooftops and contributed to building ramps and pathways across the gaps. So instead of jumping blindly across buildings, they had little makeshift bridges. The run would be smooth and consistent; fast and efficient.

Jonathan was packing a bag with twice the usual supplies before he and Evan set out for the city. Arlan came up to him when they made it back down to the lobby. Music was lightly playing through the open room and everything seemed peaceful for the time being.

"I marked the building in the city where they keep the other doctor hostage. They probably always have people posted around it, so keep an eye out if you're ever in that area." Arlan said firmly as he opened the door for them.

"Thank you." Jonathan gave him a nod and moved out into the cold air that seemed to be getting colder by the day.

The air stung at their throats as the small group of runners took off through the streets; the city their goal. One by one their group became less as they passed by the switch points where they were to hand off the supplies to another runner. They took their posts and were to wait until they got word the two men were done with the run, then they would all go back. Until then they were on lookout for any sign of the other group.

Evan and Jonathan were forced to move down the road when the favela started to end and more large buildings came into view. The street evened out a bit before it went downhill rather steeply.

"Ooh!" Evan exclaimed and ran into an alley and emerged with two skateboards. "We'll probably die, but let's do it. I used to do this if California but it was like ten times more steep. I still have a scar on my calf from the time I couldn't stop and my board broke and got stuck in my leg. It was awesome."

Jonathan took the board from him, "I think your definition of awesome is completely different from mine. Race you, bitch!"

Jonathan took off down the hill with Evan fumbling to get on his board after him. He was smiling with the rush as they rolled faster and faster. Jonathan was expertly swaying from side to side, breezing easily down the long hill. Evan was close behind, pulling his camera out and snapping a few pictures of the scenery in front of him.

The road evened out again thankfully and they coasted to a stop beside each other. Jonathan took a moment to make a strap for the boards so they could keep them on their backs for later use. It saved them time and much needed daylight. The beach wasn't far off and he could tell from where they were standing that the marinas had been torched. The boats were blackened pillars in the distance.

Evan shook his head, "And the Douche Bag of the Year award goes to . . ."

Jonathan scoffed, "Patterson."

Evan looked around them at the build ings standing tall in the sky; hotels, businesses, and if they were lucky, food marts or clinics.

"Where should we start?" Evan questioned and followed Jonathan as he picked a direction, following the map in his hand.

"Food is the first priority. If we even make it nine more months, we'll need everything we can find."

They were a few miles East of the building Arlan marked as the 'Hostage Doctor', so they kept heading East for good measure until they found some local stores that surprisingly still had a good stock of cans left. The two of them loaded up what they could before it became too heavy. Evan was feeling the pressure on his spine. He stopped on the sidewalk and dropped the bags, taking a breath.

"We have to go all the way back up that hill. Fuck. Then make even more trips back down." He sighed heavily and looked around at all the empty vehicles lying around. "Hold on."

He jogged across the road and looked inside a truck that didn't have a window. He pulled down the visor and felt the relief flood through him when an old set of keys fell into the seat. Evan wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked over at Jonathan when he came up beside him. "Should we risk it? The truck might be loud, but we can fit a lot of food in the bed. We could wrap up this entire run right now. Load up as much as we can, then get back up the hill and start hauling it back bag by bag. We could be done before the sun goes down. What do you think?"

He watched Jonathan glance back down the street, thinking it through. But it didn't take him long. "Yeah, let's do it. See if it has gas, first. If not, I'm sure we can siphon some."

That's exactly what they had to do. Evan puked twice when he got a mouthful accidentally, flipping Jonathan off when he laughed so hard he cried.

"Don't kiss me for like a week, dude." Jonathan joked as they went back for more food until the bed of the truck was loaded down. The streets were dead quiet and desolate, like an empty street during the night as the world slept, trees rustling with an ominous breeze. It made Jonathan feel so restless that he couldn't push down the dread that crept up through the hair on his head. He took a deep breath, not that it cured anything, but it pushed him to turn the key in the ignition. The truck, green, rusty, and relatively loud considering how quiet it was around them, roared to life.

"Keep your guard up. You're the eyes and ears while I get us uphill." Jonathan put it in drive and they started to move. "This thing is gonna get a lot louder as we go up. Honestly, this is the most reckless thing we've done. I know they'll hear it."

"If they haven't been watching us already." Evan added nonchalantly as he checked his gun.

Jonathan looked around uneasily again, "You feel it too, huh?"

Evan didn't answer him, just looked over and gave him look that said he was just as worried. But they were already on their way, so they didn't stop. Jonathan floored it as they reached the hill, the truck hauled them loudly but quickly up the road.

Evan was watching the building pass by to his right and remembered how busy everything used to be. He'd only been there a day, but what he got to see was absolutely stunning. It was colorful and full of life and somewhat comforting. It was a place he could call home if it hadn't died the next day.

He was drifting in his head when he thought he saw a figure standing just inside of an alley between two buildings as they drove past. He sat up and looked back, half hanging out of the window. They passed another building and there was another figure.

He sat back down hard just as they reached the top and the road leveled out again, "Don't ask, just go."

Jonathan gripped the wheel and took off as fast as they could go with the weight they were carrying. Everything flew by and Evan kept his eyes on the mirror, waiting to see if more were coming, but they seemed to be far enough ahead. Jonathan whipped around a few corners, then backed the truck into an alley beside a fire escape. He jumped out of the truck without a word and hauled two bags over shoulder and began climbing. They wasted no time. Desmond was at the top and took the bags from him and took off running to the next guy with orders from Jonathan to bring back more empty duffle bags.

Evan's heart beat faster with each passing minute. Their muscles and energy were pushed to the limit as they hauled more and more up to the top. It was slow work, but Desmond finally came back after four trips with some more bags. He helped them fill them up with the loose cans until there was only about three bags worth left as they headed up the ladder again. Desmond and Evan were at the top when Jonathan heard the crunching of dirt beneath feet.

He stopped and peered around the corner only to see four men coming right at him. His feet moved before he did. They took him all the way down the alley to another intersection between buildings. He turned until he was on another street and up above he could see Evan and Desmond waving at him in question. Jonathan didn't speak just pointed firmly in the direction of the tower and they took off running immediately.

A bullet whizzed by him and pierced the side of a building. Jonathan looked behind him and there he was again, the boss who always hid himself behind a white face mask and a deep grey hoodie. He was huge and Jonathan didn't have to time think, he only had time to run.

So he ran until his legs wouldn't work right anymore, until his lungs couldn't keep up. He stopped and pulled out his map, reading the additions and moving toward the nearest manhole cover. He pried the metal from the ground and dropped down, pulling the lid shut and taking a deep breath of foul air. But he was out of sight and it was enough for now. He followed the map at a slow pace because his legs were tired and the sounds he kept hearing were unnatural.

* * *

"Should we go back?" Desmond huffed while they kept running, picking up runners along the way. They were almost back to the tower and Evan was trying to keep his cool after he heard gunshots.

"No, he'll be fine. Besides, those guys were only after our supplies and they got a cut of it. They know if they follow us they'll be outnumbered eventually." Evan glanced behind them just in case but he knew they weren't being followed and he knew Jonathan wasn't following them either. He calmed his nerves. Jonathan was fast and smart and was probably already out of sight. Yet, Evan was still worried.

All they could do was wait. Once they were back at the tower, he dumped the bags and went back outside and stood at the gate on watch for what felt like hours. The wind whipped around him as the sun started to slowly lower in the sky. He paced for another thirty minutes before he heard metal scraping metal and ran for the opening manhole cover in the street.

Two hands became visible and Evan knew it was him just by the blue bracelet on his wrist. He slid to a stop and took Jonathan's hands, pulling him out of the dark hole and back into the sunlight. Evan pulled him into an embrace as soon as he was on his feet.

Then he held him at arm's length and looked him over, "Are you okay?"

Jonathan gave him a nod, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"Four guys came around the corner, the boss shot at me, but I got into the sewer before he caught up. I wasn't followed, were you?"

Evan shook his head and let out a relieved breath, "No, we're all back and safe. I knew it wasn't going to go well, but I didn't think we'd get caught so fast. I'm sorry."

Jonathan pushed at Evan's face lightly, teasing, "Don't worry about it. We got what we went for. They got some of it, too. But we're set for a while. We can take a break. I need one."

"You need a shower." Evan looked him up and down and grimaced at the dark substances on his clothes.

"That'd be nice. Screamers were loose down there by the way. I tore through five, but luckily that was it." Jonathan chuckled at the look of horror on Evan's face and threw an arm over his shoulder, walking them back. "Chill out. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"You can't just tell me to chill out after that, dude. I need to be reassured thoroughly . . . and maybe cuddled. I'm a needy bitch." Evan smiled over at him sweetly.

Jonathan laughed and pulled him closer, "You poor baby."

"Maybe . . . roughly cuddled?"

"No."

"Damn it!"

* * *

Despite the firefight they'd run into a few hours earlier, Jonathan felt okay. He actually felt pretty amazing and the rest of the group seemed to be getting along better now than they ever had. Arlan and his friends were now fully integrated into the tower. Anthony helped David and Brock. Cody assisted Bryce all hours of the day and helped Ryan around when he needed it. A few others joined Murphy and Langley, keeping themselves occupied by sorting through all the new food and supplies with the help of Desmond and the other defenders.

Another woman from Arlan's group helped Lui walk around and ease the civilians worries. She took it upon herself to start a woman's clinic on one of the floors. She supplied feminine products and gave them advice about anything and everything they came to her about. Her name was Marzia and her skin was as black and beautiful as the night sky, her hair a natural curly fro on her head. She had spunk and gold piercings. Her calm reassuring smile made you feel like she could read the stars if you asked her to. She was a blessing and they were beyond grateful to have her.

Jonathan passed by, watching her work her magic with the locals and thought about how nice it was to have things looking up. This was how it should've been with the boss and his gang. They should've been helping each other out, working together to fight the common enemy. But, Patterson had other plans, therefore they were all destined to struggle.

Jonathan made his way into the mess hall to find it filled with people and he was about to question why, but then he heard music. Evan was smack in the middle of them all trying to learn a Brazilian dance they called the Capoeira. It looked like a martial art as they kicked their legs high in the air and moved swiftly around each other. The other boys were fast and fluid, laughing heartily as Evan nearly tripped himself up.

It was entertaining to watch as the women interfered and started a Samba, pulling others in with them. The whole room was filled with culture, music, laughter and clapping. Maybe this was what they needed; something normal and freeing.

Jonathan hadn't danced since the Cinco de Mayo the year before his father died. He'd never forget the lights that were strung up in every direction at his aunt's house. The music never ended and his sisters never stopped embarrassing him.

His brother was always off to the side as well, shaking his head at their outrageous family.

"That's the Reyes' for you." Daniel would always say before he finished off another beer to wash away the slight shame he felt for belonging to such wild people. But neither of them would have it any other way because at the end of the night they always ended up right in the middle of them, dancing and singing just as enthusiastically.

Jonathan missed it. He missed home so much and he reminded himself why he always tried not to think about it. He hated feeling homesick for his family, the forests, and the home cooked meals his mom forced him to stay a bit later for.

* * *

 _"Your sisters made churros and ice cream. You know what that means?" His mother grinned down at him and of course he knew what that meant._

 _Jonathan sighed and let his head fall back on the couch, "Yes. It means I have to stay and eat that, too. Because if I don't they will accuse me of not liking their food and will shun me as a member of this family. Even though I am so full right now you could prick me with a needle and I'd deflate. But yeah, I know what it means. Let's go get some."_

 _She smiled and ran her hand across his face, then brushed his hair away from his eyes where it always tended to fall. "You are so handsome, my sweet boy. Just like your papa."_

 _Mia and Jazmín were so happy when he joined them in the kitchen. Even though he was forcing himself to eat it all, it was just to see them smile. So, it was worth it._

* * *

Jonathan didn't realize he was staring through the crowd at Evan. But he felt the homesick feeling beginning to fade when Evan caught his gaze and started moving past everyone toward him. His hand caught his fingers and Jonathan sighed against the touch.

He leaned close to Evan's face and whispered, "I need you."

Evan pulled back and nodded, "Okay."

Because he knew what he meant. Jonathan had things on his mind and he needed a quiet place and something else to take his thoughts somewhere other than where they were. Evan took his hand and pulled him away to the elevator, away from the music and the loud, dancing crowd. He took him away from everything, to the roof of the building where the sun was but an afterthought in the sky and cold air bit at their faces.

Jonathan breathed it in deep, taking in the refreshing silence around them.

"Do you want to talk abo-" Evan tried to ask but Jonathan cut him off, gripping him around the waist and pressing their mouths together.

Evan quickly adjusted and slid his arms over his shoulders, carding his fingers through his hair once he'd pulled his hat off. He sighed against his lips before he angled his face and let his tongue join the party.

Jonathan gripped his sides and lifted Evan up and pinned him against the concrete by the door, pressing his stomach against Evan's hips.

Evan was already excited, wrapping his legs around him and rolling his hips. It was reminiscent of a time that Jonathan wouldn't take him back to no matter how much he begged. His breath caught in his throat when Jonathan's mouth fell to his neck and he kissed his skin so gently. His lips trailed up to his jaw and Evan felt him sigh as he stood there with him in his arms.

It was a long moment and Evan knew he wasn't going to get it the way he wanted when Jonathan let him down slowly and brushed his fingers over his cheekbone before his kissed him tenderly. It was enough to make Evan's heart pound. Jonathan took him by the hand and led him back inside to the elevator, never saying a word. The doors opened to the floor they always slept on and Jonathan was leading him into the room with their bunk. It was dark and empty until he shut the door and turned a dim lantern on and found his mouth again.

Evan held his arms over his head as Jonathan pulled his shirt up and off, thumbing at the waistband of his pants. This wasn't even sex, it was so much more than that as he picked Evan up and laid him down on the small mattress, pulling his clothes down off his long legs.

It was time consuming and soft and all the things Jonathan never showed before he broke. It was so affectionate and all the things Evan wasn't used to before now, before Jonathan. It was something else Evan couldn't place as they moved together, gently and almost too slow. He always wanted it rough, but this paced kind of sex was almost better. Like the second time they fucked, but more . . . meaningful. He still didn't really know how to take it all in just yet.

Evan always found his mouth hanging open each time Jonathan filled him up and held him close just as he started a rhythm. This rhythm was different, the way he was breathing was different, the way he pushed himself up and looked down at him was different. Jonathan brushed Evan's hair away from his face and watched him gasp every so often when he brushed his prostate. He watched him get closer, slowing down even more when he got too close. The way Evan chewed at his bottom lip drove him mad sometimes, just like how he'd lick them too much to the point of being chapped.

Jonathan pulled Evan up with him as he sat back on his toes and let him wrap his arms around him. Evan moved himself, riding him until Jonathan could feel his thighs starting to shake from the exertion. He was breathing heavily, about to reach his orgasm until Jonathan stopped him, holding him close, tasting the salt of his skin.

Evan dug his fingers into his back and tried to move. Jonathan could feel the warmth and wetness of his pre-cum against his stomach. He knew how bad Evan wanted it by the way he moaned suddenly when Jonathan reached up and pulled at his hair. Not hard but enough that he craved more and as much as Jonathan said no to the idea . . . he absolutely loved seeing Evan like this. So strung out and desperate for his rough touch.

Jonathan nipped at his neck carefully with his teeth before he slammed him back down into the sheets, yanking his hips up just to roughly sink himself down into him. Evan was arching his back with the feeling and just as soon as Jonathan reached forward and wrapped his fingers around Evan's neck while he pounded into him, he screamed out and curled the sheets in his fists, coming quickly all over himself. Jonathan let him ride it out before he felt his muscles coil. He pulled out and let his mess join Evan's, catching his breath, both dazed from post-orgasm.

He fell forward just a bit, resting on his arms and he let out another sigh, watching Evan's satiated expression, "I could fuck you all damn night."

Evan cracked a lazy smile, "What's stopping you?"

Jonathan wet his lips and huffed, "My complete lack of energy."

"You poor baby."

They shared a laugh and forced themselves to move so they could wipe away their mess. It took effort because they were spent and when Evan laid back down pulling the thin sheet over him, Jonathan sat on the floor beside him. In the dim light in just his underwear, he took out a pen and pulled Evan's arm out in front of him. Evan watched lazily as Jonathan drew a picture the length of his forearm, tickling his skin when he neared the crook of his arm.

Evan giggled and Jonathan paused, glancing up at him with a grin, "Be still, Princess."

"Sorry."

"Better be. Or else I'll draw a dick on your forehead when you go to sleep."

"So mean." Evan hummed when Jonathan ran his fingers over the sensitive skin, admiring his work. "You're so handsome."

Jonathan fixed a spot distractedly, "Just like my papa."

Evan blinked when Jonathan stopped and sat up, "Sorry. That's just . . . what my mom always says. You're so handsome, my sweet boy, just like your papa."

"She wasn't lying. Sweet boy." Evan reached up and pinched his cheek, laughing when Jonathan swatted him away. Evan pulled his arm up in the light and looked at the portrait of a dog he'd put on his arm. It was Lucah, almost looking like a wolf, gazing up at him with a moonlit forest behind her.

"Wow." He reveled. "Take a picture, I want to keep this forever."

* * *

They slept into the early hours of morning without being disturbed except for when Langley cracked open the door to let Lucah in. She made sure she laid on the floor and didn't jump on the bed and wake them up. But Jonathan was awake anyway when she shut the door quietly. The room was slowly flooding with cool blue light coming from the window.

He moved silently over Evan and let his feet slip onto the cold floor. Lucah licked his toes and he sat down beside her, petting her soft fur in greeting. She rested her head on his leg as he rummaged through a bag he always kept under the bed. It took a moment but he finally pulled out his phone that he hadn't touched in months because he knew it didn't even matter anymore. But it held memories that he was suddenly ready to see again.

He plugged the charger into the wall and let it come to life. The screen welcomed him, his background still the same picture, a brick wall of graffiti he'd painted in the city back home, initialed J.L.R. It was just another thing he missed so much it made his chest hurt. He opened up his photos with a heavy heart but it was something he needed to do, something he desperately needed to accept.

The first few pictures were of him and Tyler in the stadium, throwing up peace signs, smiling from ear to ear. The next were of them in the restaurant after the game, pictures of food, Tyler flipping him off. But the further he scrolled, the more homesick he felt. He flicked through photo after photo of his family, his sisters, his brother holding up his Christmas present, old family get-togethers, his art, the forest, landscapes from hiking trips, his dad.

He soaked it all in and tried to make peace with the reality he was in. These were places and people he may never see again, as optimistic as he always tried to be. This was a fear he never wanted Evan to see or feel or know.

"Hey."

Jonathan looked up at Evan prying his eyes open. He shut the screen off and grinned. "Good morning."

Evan rolled to his side and frowned when he saw how smudged the penwork on his arm had become. "Mannn."

"I can draw another one sometime." Jonathan reassured him and pulled his fingers to his lips and kissed them. Then he let them go, looking down at the phone in his hands. "Evan, listen."

"Yeah?"

Jonathan chose his words carefully, "I don't want you to worry about it, but there's something that I need to do. For me . . . and after it's done, I'll forget about it or at least try to. But if I don't get some sort of closure, it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life, however long or short-lived that may be."

Evan looked at the guilt on his face that he hadn't seen in a while and he knew exactly what Jonathan was going to do. He was going back to the parking garage where he lost his friend the night it all started. Evan couldn't stop him no more than he could tell him that he loved him.

"Okay."

Jonathan swallowed nervously, "Okay."

"Come back."

Jonathan pushed himself to his feet and brushed his hair back, "I always do."

Evan raised a brow at him, "You sure about that?"

The runner sighed and rolled his eyes, "Except that one time I got my ass kicked and dragged off for like a week. Shut up."

Evan chuckled pulled him down when he got close enough and opened his mouth and it almost rolled off his tongue without his brain stopping it, "I . . ." his head finally caught up, "nevermind. Just be safe."

Jonathan looked confused for a second before he brushed it off and leaned down the rest of the way to kiss him goodbye before he pulled some clothes on and left the room.

* * *

Evan didn't know how long he laid there as the sun filled the room. But he stared at the ceiling in thought with Lucah keeping his left side warm until he heard a quiet chime. He looked over and saw a phone on the floor, lit up at one hundred percent. Evan grinned and reached down for it, sitting up in the bed as he swiped the screen. A photo was pulled up and his grin faded.

It was a very young Jonathan with who he could only assume was his dad. They looked identical. His mom really wasn't lying. He flicked his thumb across the screen and saw Jonathan's entire world in front of him. The sisters he compared Evan to, the older brother he was fond of, and the mother who had been through so much he could see it in the laugh lines on her face.

He kept going, knowing he should've stopped before he started, but then he saw what he never wanted to see. Jonathan with his arm thrown over another man as they posed for a selfie in the stadium.

Evan's heart was in his throat as he jumped from the bed, nearly tripping over himself trying to pull his pants and shoes on. He neglected his shirt and ran down the hallway, ignoring the elevator altogether, taking the stairs until he was sprinting through the lobby. He almost barreled into Marcel but he turned his shoulder just in time and kept moving.

"Whoa! Dude, what's wrong?!"

"How long has he been gone?!" Evan asked as he unlocked the door hastily.

"I don't know, twenty minutes?"

"Fuck!" Evan yanked the door open and left them all there confused and a little alarmed, but what could they do? A desperate man was unstoppable.

Evan already couldn't breathe, could hardly run without his shaky knees buckling.

"Jonathan!"

He didn't know why he was calling him name, he knew he was too far off looking for someone he wouldn't find. Evan paused for a breath and almost got sick. That image kept flashing in his head.

Jonathan with an arm slung over his best friend's shoulder.

Tyler's shoulder.

 _The boss's shoulder._


End file.
